One Heart
by nintendofreakgcn
Summary: This the story of Eliwood, from his involvement in Lyn's story to the end of the game. Rated T to be safe.
1. The Mysterious Girl

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. Rest assured, if I did, then Fire Emblem 1-6 would have been given an English language release by now. This will be the only disclaimer in the story.

A/N: I hope for this story to cover all of the events involving Eliwood in the game, from his brief involvement in Lyn's story right up until the end of his own. Some bits that only feature in Hector's mode may be included, at my discretion. I'm going to keep the pairings a secret, simply because I believe it makes the story a bit more dramatic, but rest assured, all of the pairings are logical.

To all American readers, you may come across some words that appear to be spelled incorrectly. This is because I use Australian English, which is closer to British English than American English. Hopefully, this won't cause any big problems.

That said, read, enjoy and (hopefully) review!

**Chapter 1: The Mysterious Girl**

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Two figures on horseback could be seen riding along the edge of the mountain range that divided Lycia from Bern. One was Eliwood, son of the Marquess of Pherae, a territory in the Lycian League. He was a red-haired young man in his late teens. He wore blue clothes, a symbol of his nobility, with light armour in a similar colour. The young lord rode a white stallion called Zephyr, famous for being the fastest horse in Pherae. The other man was Marcus, head of the Knights of Pherae. He was a middle-aged man whose purple hair had started to grey. Ironically, his stallion, Old Faithful, was also grey. Marcus wore bronze-painted armour.

Eliwood was headed for Khathelet for his bimonthly sparring match with Hector, brother of Marquess Ostia and a lifelong friend of Eliwood. Marcus was headed to Santaruz to represent Eliwood's father at an emergency meeting of the Lycian Council. The meeting had been called to discuss an inheritance dispute that was brewing in Caelin, but Marquess Pherae had had important business to attend to. Marcus had agreed to go instead, and had decided to take a detour to Khathelet to make sure Eliwood was safe.

"These lands are no longer as safe as they once were," Marcus had said. Eliwood knew that was true, but part of him still wished Marcus wasn't constantly watching him. He wanted to make his own decisions sometimes. The fact that they hadn't run into any trouble yet had done nothing to stifle Marcus' paranoia.

By this time they had gone past Tania and were within an hour's ride of Khathelet. Looking up at the sky, Eliwood could tell that he was probably going to be late. The sun was already low in the west. Eliwood spurred his horse on, and Marcus did the same. These horses were two of the finest horses in Pherae. Eliwood's had been chosen at a young age because of its speed, and it had provided sterling service in its lifetime. Marcus' horse, on the other hand, was a warhorse, and was much hardier than Eliwood's, able to move quickly even with armour on, although it was neither as fast nor as graceful as Zephyr.

As Eliwood looked towards the horizon, he thought he saw a faint dust cloud in the distance. He raised his hand, bringing his horse to a stop as Marcus did the same. "What's that in the distance?" Eliwood asked, indicating the cloud of dust.

"It's difficult to say," Marcus replied. "But at a guess, I'd say it's a group of horsemen. A fairly large group, by the looks of it."

Eliwood realized that he could just see a dark mass on the western end of the cloud, and both the mass and the cloud were headed in that direction. "I think you're right," he said. "But whoever they are, they look like they're in a hurry. I don't like this at all." He repositioned himself in the saddle. "Come on, I think we can catch them."

Marcus' face looked grim. "Lord Eliwood, are you sure that's a good idea? It could be dangerous. Besides, this is Khathelet's business, not Pherae's."

Eliwood laughed to himself. "Do you doubt your abilities, Marcus?"

Marcus wasn't laughing. "I wouldn't wish you to come to any harm, Lord Eliwood."

"Your concern is appreciated, Marcus, but I think we can handle this. Besides, if things turn against us we can always retreat." With those words, Eliwood rode off toward the mass of horsemen. Marcus sighed and followed, shaking his head as he went.

It wasn't long before they had picked up some speed. "I think we can intercept them by that small forest if we hurry, Lord Eliwood!" Marcus shouted. Eliwood could see the forest quite clearly, but he couldn't tell how closely the group was going to pass it by. He hoped Marcus' hunch was right.

"Agreed," Eliwood replied. He gave Zephyr a light kick and held on tight as it sped up. The horses traveled like lightning, and it wasn't long before Eliwood was able to clearly make out the group. They were indeed on horseback (and Eliwood was grateful, for he certainly didn't want to pick a fight with anyone who could move that fast on foot). The group was all garbed in black robes, making it clear that they were an organised group, rather than simply common bandits. All except for one. Eliwood could just make out the figure of a woman in a blue-green dress, with long hair to match. She shared a horse with one of the black-robed men, who held her in a tight grip. She was squirming, and Eliwood could swear for a moment that he heard her cry out. The black-robed man took his hand off the reigns for a moment and delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck. Her struggles ceased.

Eliwood flinched, and watched for any signs of life from her. There were none. Had that blow been enough to kill her? Without thinking, he gave Zephyr a light kick, even though it was going as fast as it could.

Eliwood knew that Marcus had seen what had happened, but the knight was as calm as ever. "We're near the forest, Lord Eliwood," he said. "They don't seem to have spotted us yet, so we can move around the other side and intercept them, taking them completely by surprise."

Eliwood turned away and focused on the matter at hand. He saw a low branch and ducked down. The branch skimmed the top of his head, but did no major harm. He rode his horse further out, just in case he wasn't so lucky next time. He should have been more careful. He had to be more careful. He could just hear the horses on the other side of the forest. Eliwood and Marcus steered their mounts around the edge of the forest

They passed the forest and in instant, the scenery changed. For every tree that had been in that forest, there now seemed to be a black-robed man in horseback to replace it. Eliwood and Marcus brought their horses to a stop suddenly on seeing them; the black-robed men did the same. Eliwood spotted the young woman sitting limply in one of the saddles, but he forced himself to look away from her and focused on the main body of the group.

For what seemed like an eternity, the two groups remained still, simply staring at each other. Maybe the black-robed men simply expected Eliwood and Marcus to step aside to let them pass: Eliwood would never know. Eventually, one man rode towards Eliwood: he had probably not moved more than a metre, but it was enough to show that he was the leader.

Eliwood took a good look at him. Unlike the others, this man did not wear a black robe, or even any other aspects of what appeared to be their uniform. Instead, he wore a light-weight suit of black-painted armour tinted with gold. The armour, much like the rest of him, looked ragged and worn. However, the man's face was his most distinguishing feature. His hair, including his thin beard, was a dirty blond. His face showed no emotion, unlike the others, whose faces (or what little could be seen of them) showed what could only be interpreted as a cruel sneer. Indeed, if Eliwood had met this man in any other situation, he would have thought of him as an honest mercenary. As it happened though, Eliwood knew that this had to be a facade.

The ragged man was the first to speak. "What do you want?" he asked in a calm but raspy tone, still showing no trace of emotion.

Eliwood pointed at the young woman. "Let her go," he said, matching the other man's calm tone.

There were cruel snickers of laughter among the black-robed group, but the ragged man remained as emotionless as before. "Why should we do that?"

"Because she doesn't want to be here," Eliwood replied, with more conviction this time. "I saw her trying to get free; I saw you knock her out!" Eliwood hoped that he was right about that last part.

Eliwood's conviction had done nothing to faze the ragged man. "And what business is it of yours what we do with her?"

"If she doesn't want to be with you, then you have no right to take her."

"Do you even have any idea why we've taken her?"

Eliwood was silent. Truly, he had no idea. "It doesn't matter. No one deserves to be taken away from their home."

"Perhaps I am taking her back to her home. Perhaps I am doing what is best for her."

"I think she's old enough to make her own decisions."

"But what if her decisions caused untold suffering? How can you tell? Did you just instantly jump to the conclusion that we were the villains, and she was a damsel in distress?" The ragged man closed his eyes for a moment. "You nobles are all the same. Don't think I don't know who you are, Eliwood of Pherae." Eliwood opened his eyes wide. How did he know that he was a noble, yet alone what his name was? The ragged man continued. "You and your fellow nobles in your big castles think you're the heroes in some knightly romance. You fancy yourself as the new Roland, Eliwood?"

Eliwood knew of Roland as well as anyone else. He had been one of the legendary heroes known as the Eight Generals, who had fought against dragons in the war known as the Scouring. He was also the founder of Lycia. Why anyone would think it was a bad thing to be like him was beyond Eliwood's reckoning. The thoughts swirling around in Eliwood's mind were summed up with a shake of his head. "I am not a legendary hero. I couldn't kill a dragon. But I do know the difference between right and wrong, and you are in the wrong!"

"There you go again. You don't even know who she is. And yet you ride to her aid anyway. Fool."

"That's enough!" Eliwood yelled, unable to control himself. "Maybe I don't know who she is or what she's done to get your attention. But I know that if she's done something wrong, then you are no better! You send all these men to kidnap a helpless woman! You've forfeited any right to pass judgment. You try to pass yourself off as vigilantes, and yet you are no better than common thugs. Now let her go." He pulled his rapier from its scabbard and said firmly, "Or I'll cut you all down." Marcus drew his own sword shortly after.

The black-robed men burst into laughter, and even their leader smirked. "Well," he said, that smirk still spread across his face, "it seems to me that we have you slightly outnumbered, and, regardless of your opinion of our morals, we're professionals. We weren't instructed to kill you specifically, but we were told to kill anyone who gets in our way. No, we'll be the ones who'll cut you down if you don't run away now." Eliwood and Marcus stood their ground. "Very well." The ragged man drew his sword from its scabbard. "Attack."

Eliwood quickly nodded at Marcus. Simultaneously, they slapped their saddles. Their horses instantly leapt at their foes, covering a distance of several metres. The black-robed men had no time to react. Horses were knocked to the ground, and men were crushed, either beneath the sheer weight of their own horses or beneath the hooves of Eliwood's and Marcus'. In mere moments, they had ridden right through the group, dividing it in two. As they passed through, Eliwood had seen Marcus grab a lance from one of his victims, which he now held instead of his sword. The pair turned their horses around, preparing for another pass.

As they faced the group of black-robed men, Eliwood could tell that the plan had worked. The tactic was an old one, used by the Knights of Pherae to settle conflicts quickly. The actual charge caused little in the way of casualties, but the sudden manner in which it was delivered could strike fear into the hearts of any enemy. Although it wasn't as effective when outnumbered as badly as Eliwood and Marcus were, the point had been made. Some of the black-robed men were literally shaking in their boots, and even their leader was sweating. No one said anything.

Suddenly, the ragged man grinned. "Big mistake," he said. "You just let us past. Retreat!" He immediately turned his horse around and sped away, with his comrades following. "You'll rue the day we crossed paths, Eliwood of Pherae!"

Without thinking, Eliwood gave chase. He heard Marcus shout something to him, but didn't register it. His eyes passed over the group, looking for the young woman. He spotted her with her captor near the back of the group. He spurred his horse on. Marcus sped past him, heading for the right-hand flank. Eliwood saw some members of the group look back over their shoulder. He was very close now.

Five of the black-robed men pulled back from the main group to engage Eliwood. One swung his sword, but Eliwood ducked, and the sword passed harmlessly over his head. A swift thrust with his rapier finished that one off. Turning to his left, he parried an incoming blow, and countered with a punch that sent the second one to the ground. The horse carried on, crashing into two more horses, sending another two black-robed men to an early grave. Seeing that he now had a clear path to the man who held the young woman, Eliwood spurred Zephyr on to even greater speeds. In moments, he was alongside them, but he made no move to strike. He knew that he couldn't attack his foe without running the risk of striking the woman by mistake.

"Look out!" Eliwood heard a voice to his right cry out. Looking to his right, he saw Marcus riding towards him. As he turned around further, he saw an axe coming straight for his head. Eliwood ducked as the axe missed him by mere inches. Suddenly, he felt himself being pushed. He lost his balance, and fell off his horse, hitting the ground with a thud. Winded, Eliwood didn't bother to rise. There would be no catching them now. He had failed.

Eliwood was brought back to his senses by the sound of hooves. Pushing himself off the ground, he turned to see Marcus atop his warhorse, with a black-robed man on his knees a few metres away, facing away from Eliwood. A dead horse lay nearby with a lance in its side. Eliwood recognized the lance as the one Marcus had taken earlier. Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the young woman lay between Marcus and black-robed man. He just hoped she was alright. Marcus moved his horse toward the woman. In a swift motion, the black-robed man grabbed her and held a dagger near her throat. "Don't move," he snarled, "or she dies." He pressed the dagger against her skin, as if to make the point clear. Marcus didn't move.

"If your leader had wanted her dead, he would have killed her already," he said calmly. "By killing her, you would be disobeying your orders."

"By letting her go, I'd be disobeying my orders too. Now, cast aside your weapon."

For a moment, Marcus did nothing, but he soon let his sword drop to the ground. Eliwood knew that he had to act fast. He looked around him, trying to find his rapier. Spotting it, he picked it up, being careful not to make a sound.

"Now get off your horse," the black-robed man said to Marcus. Marcus did so, but he was very slow in doing it. In the meantime, Eliwood had snuck up behind the black-robed man. "Now walk to that tree over there and stay there." Marcus slowly backed away, not taking his eyes off the black-robed man, whom Eliwood was now directly behind.

Eliwood struck. With his left hand, he seized the arm that held the dagger. Before the black-robed man could turn around, Eliwood stabbed him in the back of the throat with his rapier. Blood gushed out from the wound, and the man's body went limp, letting go of the young woman. Eliwood pushed the black-robed man aside and grabbed the woman as she fell. Eliwood and Marcus simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay, Lord Eliwood?" Marcus asked as he walked towards him.

"Yes, I'm fine," Eliwood replied absentmindedly. At the moment, he didn't care. He was far more concerned about the woman in his arms. He gently lay her down on her back. He was relieved to see that she was still breathing steadily. However, her skin looked very pale, especially her face. For the first time, Eliwood noticed that the woman's clothing resembled those of a dancer. Her dress went down past her feet, and the colour appeared to have been chosen to match her long, light blue-green hair. A thin white cloak was worn around the dress, but it appeared to be more for show than protection. Some simple jewellery was adorned around her. The combined effect gave her an almost angelic beauty, but Eliwood could tell that there was something… different about her, although he couldn't quite figure out what.

"Is she alright?" Marcus asked, looking at the woman.

Eliwood snapped out of his daydreaming. "She looks fine," he said. "But I'd like to get her looked over by a healer."

"Well, we're not far from Khathelet now, and since her kidnappers were coming from that direction, it's logical to assume that she was taken from there. Perhaps she even has friends or family there." Marcus's face took on a more grave appearance. "I regret to inform you, Lord Eliwood, that your horse was killed shortly after you were knocked from it. I found its body not far from here, but I advise you don't go and look at it. It's a rather bloody sight."

Eliwood frowned. "My father's not going to be happy." The loss of Zephyr struck a blow to Eliwood's heart. He had had that horse ever since he was young. He had never ridden another horse before, and he doubted that any other horse would match up.

"I think Lord Elbert values a human life more than that of a horse, Lord Eliwood, even one as fine as Zephyr."

"I suppose you're right Marcus," Eliwood said, but he was still frowning. He didn't like the idea of walking all the way to Khathelet. The sun was starting to set now, and he would much rather get there before dark. Bandits ruled the night, and the last thing he wanted now was more battle: he had had quite enough for one day.

"Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, "feel free to take my horse."

"I couldn't do that. You would be late for the meeting of the Lycian Council."

"Lord Eliwood, I must insist. I would feel much more at peace if I knew that you and the girl would be in Khathelet before dark. I will pick up a horse from one of the farmsteads if need be."

Eliwood knew there would be no convincing Marcus. "Very well." Eliwood lifted the woman up gently and carried her over to Old Faithful. Hoisting her gently into the saddle, Eliwood climbed on behind her, gripping the reins in one hand and holding her close to him with the other. He turned his head to face Marcus. "Thank you, Marcus."

Marcus shook his head gently. "Thanks are not needed, my lord. I am simply doing my duty." He stepped away from the horse. "May you have a safe journey."

Eliwood smiled. "And the same to you, Marcus. Good luck at the council." With those words, Eliwood turned his horse towards Khathelet, and rode away. As the horse gathered speed, Eliwood took a quick look back at Marcus, who was already walking away towards the south-west.

Facing forward again, Eliwood held the woman closer to him. It was strange. He had only just met her. He didn't know anything about her, not even her name. And yet, in spite of all those things, this somehow felt right.

* * *

The first stars were appearing in the night sky as Eliwood reached the outer homesteads of Khathelet. Even though the ride was short, it had been a rough ride, and Eliwood's body was now very sore. Clearly, warhorses were not bred to give gentle rides. Eliwood now understood why Marcus wore all that armour whenever he went riding, although he had a feeling that he had been slightly spoilt by the gentle rides that Zephyr had given him.

For now though, Eliwood had more pressing matters than his own comfort. He had to find someone who knew the woman he held in his arms. She still hadn't regained consciousness, but her breathing was still steady and some of the colour had returned to her face.

Riding up to a nearby house, Eliwood saw an elderly man heading for the front door. The man looked up as Eliwood rode towards him, a look of suspicion on his face. Eliwood wasn't surprised. He doubted that this sort of thing happened every day. "Do you know this woman?" Eliwood asked.

The elderly man stared at the woman for a moment, before saying, "Never seen her in my life." And that seemed to be the response at every home Eliwood went to. He couldn't help but notice that some people seemed to say it very hastily, almost before Eliwood had finished his sentence, before slamming the door in his face. Eliwood could only assume that they did know the woman, but were unwilling to say so for some reason. There were only two possible reasons: either the group who had kidnapped the woman were dangerous, or she herself was dangerous. Eliwood sincerely doubted that the latter was true. Apart from anything else, if she were so dangerous, she probably wouldn't have gotten kidnapped in the first place. That, and the fact that she hardly seemed to be the type to harm anyone, removed any suspicions that Eliwood might have had. No, it must have been the group who had kidnapped her that were the dangerous ones. But that still didn't solve the immediate problem of finding someone who would admit to knowing her.

Eliwood was about to give up when he noticed a small fortress not far from the outskirts. There were some fresh tracks headed towards it. Some tracks were made by horses, while others were made by people on foot, but all of them seemed to be made by a group that was in a hurry. Eliwood rode quietly towards the entrance of the fortress. As he reached the fortress, he saw a body on the ground. Eliwood gasped upon seeing that the man wore black robes of the same design as those of the men he had fought mere hours before. The body was glowing slightly, a sure sign that he had been killed by light magic. Eliwood was sure there must be someone on the side of right in that fortress right now. No evil man could have used that magic.

Eliwood drew Old Faithful to a stop and dismounted. Strangely, there were three other horses tied up outside the fortress. Two of them were a dark brown colour, one with a red saddle and reins, the other with green. The third horse was a lighter brown, and the rather dirty equipment attached to it made it look out of place next to the other two horses. Whatever group these horses belonged to, they must have contained an odd assortment of people. Eliwood tied up Old Faithful a good distance away from them, just to be safe. He picked the young woman up off the saddle. She was still unconscious. Eliwood held her in his arms, her head against his chest, as he walked into the fortress.

The inside of the fortress was dark. Only the dim light from outside allowed Eliwood to find his way through the halls. At first, the fortress seemed utterly abandoned. The cobwebs that covered the corners of the rooms seemed to back up that theory. But then, Eliwood heard something. At first, he thought it was the wind, but then he recognised the sound as that of voices. Eliwood followed the sound, and as he came towards an exit he could hear snippets of conversation.

"A villager saw some men riding south," he heard a stern, masculine voice say. Eliwood wondered whether those were the men whom he had seen.

"The boy's dear sister… they must have her!" said another, sadder voice. This intrigued Eliwood further. Could the brother of the woman he was carrying be here? Eliwood quickened his pace.

The voices became very clear as Eliwood came closer to the doorway. A feminine voice spoke. "We must give chase," the voice said, causing Eliwood to stop for a moment. The voice was clearly that of a woman's, but never before had he heard a woman speak with such courage or conviction.

Eliwood's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sobbing. Eliwood stopped just in front of the doorway. In between the sobbing, he heard what could only be the voice of a young boy. "But we'll never catch them! What if they've already…"

Eliwood couldn't wait any longer. Walking through the doorway into the courtyard beyond, he shouted, "Is this the girl you're looking for?"

The sobbing instantly stopped, and Eliwood saw a young boy running towards him, crying, "Ninian! Ninian!" Eliwood saw the boy's blue-green hair and realized that he must have been the woman's brother. He was definitely the one who had been crying before, as there were still tears in his eyes, although they had now turned to tears of joy. As the boy reached Eliwood, his eye's darted toward Ninian's face, and then back to Eliwood's.

"She'll be fine," Eliwood reassured him, "she's just lost consciousness." Eliwood took a look at the other people in the courtyard. Standing behind the boy was a young woman with long dark green hair that was tied into a ponytail. She was garbed in a simple dress that was split along the side of each leg, presumably for ease of movement. Eliwood was sure that he had seen her, or at least someone who had looked like her, somewhere before. Regardless, the woman was very striking, possessing some sort of quality that he had seen neither in the female Lycian nobles he had met before nor in the common villagers. On her right stood a young man in red armour, who had hair to match. He had a rather stern expression on his face that reminded Eliwood of Marcus, although he did seem glad that Eliwood had brought Ninian here. On the woman's left stood another young man, but this one wore green armour, had brown hair, and had a very jovial expression on his face. Eliwood couldn't help but wonder why these two men, who were clearly knights, were with a woman who did not appear to be of noble birth.

But if they were an odd combination, the ones who stood behind them were even stranger. In the shadow of the green-haired woman stood a man who was clearly from the plains of Sacae: his tanned skin, dark hair and the simple hunting gear he wore were clear signs of that. His face portrayed no emotion whatsoever. There was a muscular man who wore ragged pants, a singlet and sandals, and had a large, single-headed axe by his side. His face showed very little emotion, but there was a slight smile on his lips. Not far from that man stood a young girl, for she hardly seemed mature enough to be called a woman. She had pink hair, which she wore in pigtails. She wore the white garb of a cleric, and carried what Eliwood could only assume to be a healing staff. She had a bright smile, but Eliwood got the feeling that she would be smiling even if he had brought in a corpse. Next to her stood a small young man with dark purple hair. He wore an orange cloak that suggested that he was a mage. He looked very worn out and frustrated. In a far corner of the courtyard stood a rather frail-looking young girl with light purple hair. She wore a short, white dress, dark blue boots that went up well past her knees, and light armour. She was avoiding making eye contact with Eliwood. A young man with brown hair stood near that girl. He wore a light green shirt and long brown pants with simple gloves and boots. He carried a bow over his shoulder and had a quiver filled with arrows strapped to his side. His expression was rather vague. Finally, not far from that young man there was a young man with blonde hair, although he appeared so feminine that Eliwood thought for a moment that it was a woman whom he was looking at. The man wore white robes that suggested that he was an Elimine monk, but Eliwood couldn't be sure. He had the appearance of a man completely at peace with himself.

Remembering why he was here, Eliwood said, "She was with a band of ruffians. She looked in need of rescuing. Was I wrong to involve myself?"

The green-haired woman stepped forward. "No, you saved her life," she said. Eliwood tried to keep his composure and make it look like he did this sort of thing on a regular basis, but he failed miserably. Being honest with himself, Eliwood was surprised that he had done it at all. The green-haired woman ignored this and asked, "Who are you anyway?"

Eliwood stood up straight. "I am Eliwood of Pherae. My father is the Marquess."

The green-haired girl suddenly seemed very distant. "The Marquess' son…," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, and Eliwood swore that she saw a tear trickle down her face. She soon regained her composure. Speaking in the strong tone that Eliwood had heard earlier, she said, "The woman you rescued is called Ninian. The boy in front of you is her brother, Nils. They are traveling performers." Eliwood looked down at Nils, who stood at least a foot shorter than him, but the boy's gaze was fixed purely on Ninian. Eliwood could understand: it was only natural to be worried about a sibling in this situation. Eliwood noticed a flute strapped to Nils side, and he assumed that Nils was a bard and Ninian was a dancer. It certainly seemed to back up his earlier notions.

The green haired woman spoke up again. "The man on my right is Kent, and the one on my left is Sain." Kent bowed to Eliwood. After a quick glare from Kent, Sain made a noticeably smaller bow towards Eliwood. "They are both knights…" the green-haired woman seemed distant again for a moment. Eliwood noticed that she hadn't mentioned what house these knights served, but he didn't press the matter.

The green-haired girl moved aside so that Eliwood could see the man behind her. "This is Rath," she said. Rath made eye contact with Eliwood, but gave no further recognition. The green-haired girl pointed to the large man with the axe. "This is Dorcas," she said. Dorcas nodded at Eliwood, but that was all the recognition that was given. The green-haired girl pointed to the pink-haired girl. "This is Serra. She's a cleric of St Elimine."

Before anyone could continue, Serra had spoken. "Oh, Lord Eliwood!" she said in a cheery, high pitched, almost inhuman voice. "I remember where I've heard of you! You're a good friend of Lord Hector's, aren't you? Don't bother answering, I should know. I mean, I do serve House Ostia! What are you doing in Khathelet?"

"Well actually…" Eliwood said before trailing off. He was about to say the real reason why he was in Khathelet, but then he remembered something Hector had said some time ago. He had told Eliwood about an annoying cleric in service to House Ostia. If Serra didn't know Hector was in the area, then there was a good chance that Hector didn't want her to know. "Just business for my father," Eliwood finally said, being the first thing that he could think of.

"Really?" Serra replied. "Marquess Pherae sends his son off to do the business of the house? Doesn't he have vassals to do that sort of thing?" Before Eliwood could reply, Serra shrugged and said, "Pheraeans are weird."

The green-haired girl nodded at Eliwood, and he got the feeling that Serra was always like this. The green-haired girl spoke again. Pointing at the purple-haired young man next to Serra, she said, "That's Erk, he's a mage and Serra's escort." Erk nodded at Eliwood.

Serra kicked Erk in the shin, and he howled in pain, before muttering some incomprehensible words under his breath. "Show the proper respect, Erk!" Serra exclaimed, poking Erk with her staff. "He's the son of a marquess!" Reluctantly, Erk bowed to Eliwood, who was hard pressed to keep himself from laughing.

The green-haired girl just smiled. "This is Florina," she said, pointing to the purple-haired girl in the corner. "She's a Pegasus knight in-training."

"Um, hi," Florina whispered, briefly making eye contact with Eliwood.

"Well met, Florina," Eliwood replied.

Florina opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. "She's a little shy around men," the green-haired girl whispered to Eliwood. He found it very odd that such a shy girl could ever have become a Pegasus knight, but he supposed that her skill in battle more than made up for her shyness. Next, the green-haired girl pointed to the young man with the bow. "This is Wil. He's actually from Pherae, but he's been traveling for quite a while, so he may not have heard of you."

"Of course I have!" Wil exclaimed in a jovial voice. "Well met, Lord Eliwood."

"Well met, Wil," Eliwood replied. "Tell me, what caused you to leave Pherae? Hopefully it wasn't any problem you had with my father." Eliwood sincerely doubted that this would be the case, as his father was beloved by the general populace, but it couldn't hurt to be sure.

"Not at all, Lord Eliwood! I just wanted to see more of the world. But I may return to Pherae some day."

"I look forward to it."

Meanwhile, the eyes of the green-haired girl had been darting around the room. "Where has he gone?" she muttered. In a clearer voice, she said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid a member of our group has snuck off. He does that sometimes." Eliwood raised an eyebrow at this. What sort of person would have reason to sneak off on a regular basis? Eliwood decided that it would probably be best to keep his suspicions to himself. This group didn't look like fools, so they must have had some reason to trust that person, whoever he was. "And finally," the green-haired girl said, pointing to the feminine-looking man, "this is Lucius. He's an Elimine monk."

Lucius raised his hand. "May the blessings of St Elimine be upon you, Lord Eliwood," he said.

"And the same to you, Lucius," Eliwood replied. "Was it your handiwork I saw on the body outside?"

Lucius' face took on a grave look. "Indeed, the man was a shaman, a practitioner of the dark arts." The room fell silent. Shamans and druids were a rarity in Elibe, and they usually only showed up when there was evil afoot. Eliwood wondered whether all of those black-robed men had been shamans, but he knew that couldn't be the case. If it were the case, he would be dead now. Very few people could resist dark magic.

It was Eliwood who broke the silence. "Tell me," he said, looking at the green-haired girl, "what is your name?"

"I am Lyn," she replied. She paused for a moment, and closed her eyes. As she opened them, she added, "I am Marquess Caelin's granddaughter."

"Marquess Caelin?" Eliwood gasped, so shocked that he almost dropped Ninian. "Then we have much to discuss." Eliwood never would have guessed that he would have encountered the very woman at the centre of so much controversy.

"I'm sorry, Eliwood," Lyn said, "but I don't want to talk about it." She turned around and began to walk away. Kent and Sain followed.

"Lyn," Eliwood said, "they're holding a meeting of the Lycian Council to decide the best course of action in this matter." Lyn stopped. "It would be best if there was someone who could represent you in this matter. And even if you don't want me to be that person, I still want to know the truth."

Lyn turned around and looked Eliwood in the eye. "Very well, then," she said. "We will discuss this in private. Kent, can you take Ninian and find a place for her to lie down?"

"Certainly, milady," Kent replied. Walking towards Eliwood, he held out his arms. Eliwood gently passed Ninian to Kent. The knight then proceeded to carry Ninian's unconscious form back into the fortress, with Nils jogging behind him. The rest of the group got the message, and followed the pair into the fortress. Eliwood and Lyn were now alone.

"So," Lyn said, "what do you already know about my situation?"

"Well, I know that your mother, Lady Madelyn, eloped with a Sacaen nomad," Eliwood replied, focusing his mind on remembering the details. "Your grandfather, Lord Hausen, was very upset, and after awhile he simply pretended that he had no daughter." Lyn looked upset by this, but Eliwood continued. "Then recently, he received a letter from your mother, which said that she was living happily on the plains and had a daughter, who would obviously be you. That's all that's known with anywhere near certainty, everything else is just rumours."

Lyn nodded. "Well," she said, "I might as well start with my upbringing." She looked out, away from the fortress and towards the northeast, and Eliwood realized she was looking towards Sacae. "I was raised on the plains of Sacae, as part of the Lorca tribe. My father, the nomad with whom my mother had eloped, was the chieftain. We lived in peace for many years. Then, one night, we were attacked by the Taliver bandits. Everyone in the tribe died that night, except for me and a few others. My parents were among those who died." Lyn was silent again.

"I'm sorry," Eliwood said. "I had heard rumours that Lady Madelyn had died, but I hoped they were unfounded."

"You don't have to be sorry, Eliwood. Some day, when I'm stronger, I will go back there, and I will kill every last one of those bandits. They will all fall beneath my blade." Lyn was scowling now.

"Lyn," Eliwood said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "revenge won't bring back those who have died, or heal your broken heart."

Lyn turned around to face Eliwood. The fire in her eyes seemed unquenchable. "Eliwood, you know nothing of how I feel," she said. "When you've had your entire family, everyone you've ever cared about, everyone who ever gave your life meaning, hacked down without mercy until their blood stained the earth, then we'll see if you can still say that."

Eliwood said nothing on that topic. This was Lyn's issue, and she would have to resolve it herself. "So what happened with you and the last few surviving members of your tribe?"

The fire in Lyn's eyes was fading now, and they seemed strangely empty without it. "As the daughter of the chieftain, I considered my duty to try and lead the tribe, to help it pull through this ordeal. But no one would follow me. Some said I was too young, others were simply too old-fashioned to follow a woman. I was left alone." A tear trickled down Lyn's face. Eliwood knew that, if such a strong woman shed but a single tear, then the pain she was going must have been beyond words.

"Well, I think we've cleared up the matter of your upbringing," Eliwood said, hoping to change the subject. "Would you mind telling me the details of your journey here?"

Lyn wiped the tear from her face. "I was going into the town of Bulgar one day to buy some supplies. I had been running low ever since the attack. It was there that I met Kent and Sain, although at that point I assumed that they were nothing more than two pestering knights, especially due to the fact that Sain was trying to flirt with me. It was only later that I found out that he does that to every woman he meets." A slight smile spread across Lyn's lips. Eliwood was glad to see that, for now, she seemed to be over the pain of what happened to her tribe. "Anyway, as I left Bulgar, I was attacked by bandits. Kent and Sain caught up with me and aided me in the battle. After the battle, they basically told me what you know. While they were telling me their tale, I remembered that one of the bandits had called me by my full name: Lyndis. Kent and Sain told me that they might have been paid by my great-uncle Lundgren to kill me."

"That does sound quite possible," Eliwood said grimly. "Some corrupt nobles have hired common brigands to perform assassinations before, so as to make it look like an accident. Lord Lundgren certainly had the motive. He's wanted the throne of Caelin for some time. Before Marquess Caelin knew of your existence, Lord Lundgren was next in line. But I'm surprised that he was able to arrange a contract from so far away."

"That's what Kent and Sain said. Despite the fact that I have no interest in inheriting any title, that all I want do is see my grandfather, Lundgren still seems to want me dead." Lyn sighed. "But we have no proof, so we can't use that against Lundgren. Anyway, I decided to go to Caelin with Kent and Sain. Before we set out for Caelin, I decided to visit a shrine near Bulgar. It is tradition for people of Sacae to go there before the start of a long journey. When we arrived, we found it under attack. The attackers were trying to steal the sword that was housed there: the Mani Katti. We fought them off, and the priest there allowed me to touch the Mani Katti, and wish for a safe journey. When I touched the sword, it glowed. The priest said that it was a sign that I was destined to wield it." Lyn unsheathed the sword that was strapped to her belt and held it up. It was glowing. "This is the Mani Katti."

Eliwood stared at the sword. It looked so light, and yet the glow was surely a sign that it possessed great power. "I have heard legends of this sword. It is said to be a blade without equal." Eliwood looked up at Lyn. "That you would be the one destined to wield this sword surely means you are destined for great things."

"All I know is that it has served me well battle." Lyn buckled the sword to her belt again. As soon as she let go of it, it stopped glowing. "Along the way to Lycia, Florina, Wil, Dorcas, Serra and Erk joined us. Florina is an old friend of mine, and had hoped to join up with our group as part of her training. Wil's an archer, and he joined up at first to help us fight some bandits, and then decided to stay. Dorcas joined us to earn money to pay for a cure for his wife's illness."

"That is a noble goal."

Lyn nodded. "Yes, and I would have given him some of our money without him having to work for us, but he insisted that he earn the money himself. Anyway, we ran into Serra and Erk very much by accident. Both of our groups had gotten into a fight with the same group of bandits, and we decided to join forces. Afterwards, Serra decided that she and Erk would join our group, as they were both headed for Ostia, and Caelin's more or less on the way."

Eliwood grinned. "I notice Erk didn't get a say in the matter."

Lyn laughed. "No, he didn't. Soon after Serra and Erk joined us, we arrived in Araphen. Kent had arranged a meeting with Marquess Araphen, to discuss whether or not any aid could be given to us. Before the meeting could take place, the castle was attacked, and Marquess Araphen was taken hostage."

Eliwood's eyes opened wide in shock. "How could that happen? Castle Araphen is one of the most well-defended fortresses in Lycia. It has to be, due to its position."

"I don't know how they pulled it off. I assume it was a covert operation. Those present all agreed that the group responsible must have been sent by Lundgren to kill me. But none of them would admit to it."

"That's only to be expected. Lord Lundgren would only have used those most loyal to him for an operation such as this. But how did you defeat this group if they so easily took the Marquess hostage?"

"Rath, who was the captain of the castle guard at the time, had somehow escaped the castle. He actually saved my life when one of the enemies attacked me."

"Well, I suppose that's part of his job."

"Well that may be the case, but that's not the reason he gave. He is one of the Kutolah, another of the tribes of Sacae. He said he saved me because I was from Sacae." This information surprised Eliwood. Marquess Araphen was well-known for his hatred of the people of Sacae. To have a nomad in his employment seemed like a very odd decision. Still, perhaps that had something to do with why Rath was here now. Lyn continued speaking. "Rath told us that there was a secret path that led into the throne room, that he and his men could use to ambush the enemy and free the Marquess. However, gaining access to the path required that some doors be unlocked, and we didn't have the tools to do it. Fortunately, we ran into a thief called Matthew who offered his services to us."

"And you accepted them?" Eliwood asked. Lyn nodded. "I'm surprised, given your clear hatred of bandits."

"Well, we needed the assistance. Besides, he seemed honest enough for a thief. He definitely didn't seem like the sort of person who would kill anyone like bandits do." There was a brief pause. "With Matthew's help, we were able to gain access to the secret passage, and Rath and his men were able to rescue the Marquess. I was then able to meet with him."

"And how did the meeting go?" Eliwood asked, although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Lyn was silent for a moment. When she finally did speak, her voice was much quieter than it had been before. "Well, when he saw me, he said that I looked a lot like my mother, and that I was probably telling the truth about my heritage. However, he refused to give us aid. The reason he gave was that I was 'tainted' with the blood of the Sacae." Lyn seemed near tears now, although she didn't cry. As Eliwood looked into Lyn's eyes, he knew he had seen them somewhere before.

Eliwood put a hand on Lyn's shoulder. "Lyn, I know why Marquess Araphen refused to give you aid, and let me assure you that is not your fault," he said. "Many years ago, Marquess Araphen was in love with your mother. When she left with your father, Marquess Araphen was heartbroken. But rather than accept that your mother had made her decision and move on, he blamed it on your father. It wasn't long before Marquess Araphen's hatred of your father had extended to all nomads. When he saw you, I imagine it brought back a lot of ill feelings. It doesn't excuse what he did, but it does explain it."

"Yes, I suppose it does," Lyn replied. Eliwood had a feeling that his answer didn't satisfy her.

Eliwood could tell that this subject was hurting Lyn deep down. In an attempt to change the topic of conversation, he said, "What happened after your meeting with Marquess Araphen?"

"There's not much to tell, really. We decided to leave Araphen and head for Caelin through Khathelet. Matthew and Rath both joined us. Matthew's the one who's snuck off at the moment. We ran into Nils not far from here. He told us that Ninian had been kidnapped. We agreed to help him. We then met Lucius, who also wanted to help Nils. We fought our way towards this fortress, but most of the black-robed men had already left, taking Ninian with them. And then you came." For a while, the courtyard was silent. Then Lyn said, "And that's my story. In know it's hard to believe." Lyn turned away, as if expecting rejection.

"No, I do believe you," Eliwood replied. Lyn turned back to face Eliwood. "At first, all I saw was a girl of the plains folk. But as I listened to your story, I realized that you have your grandfather's eyes."

"You know my grandfather?" Lyn replied hastily.

"Your grandfather, Lord Hausen, is my father's good friend."

"What's he like?" Lyn was now gazing intently at Eliwood.

Eliwood thought for a moment, trying to find words to adequately describe Lord Hausen. "He's hard to describe. He's quiet, and yet when he can speak with great conviction when he's passionate about something. He cares greatly for the people of Caelin, and often puts their wellbeing above his own, which admittedly has led to a decline in his health in recent years. He can be proud, stubborn even." Eliwood could tell by the look on Lyn's face that that had come out wrong. "But let me tell you this with certainty: after he got that letter from your mother, he was happier than I had ever seen him."

These words seemed to comfort Lyn somewhat. "Thank you Eliwood," she said. "You give me hope that my grandfather may accept me, even if the other lords of Lycia may not."

"Lyndis," Eliwood said, being sure to use Lyn's full name, "Lycian nobles aren't all as old-fashioned as Marquess Araphen." Eliwood smiled at Lyn, and she smiled back. "Tell me, it looks like you're going to have some problems before you reach your grandfather. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Lyn's face became grim once more. "Thank you Eliwood, but no. This is my problem, and I must settle it alone. I would hate to think of Pherae getting involved in Caelin's politics: it might lead to war. I couldn't bear that, especially not after after what you did for Ninian."

Eliwood knew that there would be no convincing Lyn, and she was probably right. If he started taking sides, then other territories would use it as an excuse to start taking sides, until Lycia was in a state of all-out war. That was the last thing he wanted. "Very well," Eliwood said. "But I shall be staying in the Khathelet Inn for the next few days, if you change your mind." As a cold breeze blew by, Lyn shivered, and it was only then that Eliwood realized that it was now very late. "Now if you'll excuse me," he said," I have to go meet a friend." Eliwood turned around and began to walk away.

"Goodbye, Eliwood," Lyn said.

Eliwood turned his head around to get a last look at Lyn. "Farewell, Lyn. And good luck."

* * *

"Where in the world have you been?" were the first words Eliwood heard as he walked into the house. The words had come from Hector. "I was thinking about sending out a search party." He was a tall, muscular man, an image that was only exaggerated slightly by the heavy riding armour that he wore. The armour was painted in the dark purple of the ruling family of Ostia. Beneath the armour, he wore black pants and a blue shirt that matched the colour of his hair. In spite of the formal nature of his attire, his overall appearance was almost brutish, and few would have guessed that he was the brother of Marquess Ostia.

Eliwood knew Hector well, however, and knew that he was at heart a good person, even if his manners weren't the best he had ever seen. "Sorry, Hector," Eliwood said, "I was delayed."

"Care to tell me what delayed you?"

"It's complicated." If Eliwood told Hector about Ninian, then he would probably have had to tell him about Lyn, and that wasn't a good idea. Hector might already have his own opinion on the issue, and he didn't want to risk any conflict with his good friend. He also had a feeling that Lyn would rather her whereabouts remain secret.

Hector clearly wasn't satisfied by this answer, but he didn't seem to have any interest in pressing the issue. "Very well," he said, "keep your secrets." He stretched and let out a yawn. "Do you mind if we have our sparring match tomorrow? I think it would be best if we both got some sleep."

Eliwood couldn't argue with that. It had been a long day. "I have no problem with that."

"Do you have a place to sleep?" Hector asked. "There's a spare bed here if you want to stay."

"No, I'm staying at an inn not far from here. I would take up your offer, but I already told someone that I would be staying at the in if they needed to contact me." Realising that Hector would probably ask who needed to contact him, Eliwood added, "That, and I don't want to deal with your snoring."

Hector glared at Eliwood for a moment. Then they both laughed loudly and jovially. Once they were finished, Eliwood walked out of the warmth of the house and into the cold night. As he got up onto Old Faithful, he looked towards the fortress where he had been not too long ago. He could just make out a group of people leaving the fortress. They were heading south. Eliwood wondered who they were. Surely Lyn and her group weren't planning on traveling by night. Surely they knew the dangers.

But Eliwood soon received his answer, as, for a brief moment, he saw the unmistakable glow of the Mani Katti. Then it stopped, and Eliwood lost sight of the group amidst the darkness.


	2. The Lycian Council

A/N: I would like to start by making an apology to anyone who read this fanfic when it was first posted. There was a formatting error on my part, which resulted in the dividers between sections of the chapter not showing up. I was able to get on my sister's computer and fix the problem using quickedit. Unfortunately, I do not generally have access to quickedit, as my web browser doesn't support it. As such, I will now be using a slightly uglier looking divider, but at least it should show up. Hopefully this will not detract from your reading experience too much.

Well, 6 reviews isn't bad at all! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and keep them coming!

**Dracobolt: **Well, I'm glad you found my descriptions and dialogue good, seeing as how those seem to be the parts with which I have the most difficulty.

**Gijinka Renamon: **Thanks for your review! By the way, I reviewed your recently posted Fire Emblem fanfic, so have a look if you haven't already.

**wow: **Thanks for your review! And yeah, in case you haven't realised yet, I am going to do more. Just look below!

**Snoopy6458: **Yeah, writing good dialogue and putting more descriptions into conversations are two things I need to work on. Hopefully this chapter will be a bit better in that regard, but as I had already actually written it when you posted your review (it just needed to be edited) I can't make any promises. The same problem exists for the yet-to-be-edited Chapter 3, but as that is considerably shorter than this one, I should be able to do more in-depth editing. By the way, I reviewed your fanfic Boon Companions (at least I think it was yours) so have a look if you haven't already. Basically, it's better than my stuff by a long shot.

**NobleLadyOfCaelin: **Thanks for your review! I'll try and update as often as I can, but as I'm in a very busy year at school, my updates probably won't be as frequent as I would like. Still, if your username is any indication of what you like, then you should like this chapter.

**Duderly Bob: **Ah, the issue of chapter length. My personal belief is that I make my chapters as long as I feel they need to be: no longer, no shorter (within bounds of reason, of course). I'm aware that my long chapters may deter some readers, but I guess that's just the inevitable price that must be paid.

**Chapter 2: The Lycian Council**

The first rays of sunlight were pouring in through the window of the second-storey room of the Khathelet Inn. The room was sparsely furnished, with just a bed and a few cupboards. Eliwood was sitting on the bed, polishing his rapier. It had surprised Hector during their sparring match yesterday when Eliwood had pulled the rapier out of its scabbard, only to see that it was still covered with blood from the black-robed men he had slain before. It had taken some time, but Eliwood had managed to get all of the dried blood off, and the rapier was looking as good as new.

Eliwood held the rapier up to the light. The sword shone, and Eliwood could see his reflection in it, although the blade was much too thin to make an effective mirror. Eliwood frowned as he saw that the tip had gotten blunt. He would have to get it sharpened when he got back to Pherae. But that was a job for another day.

As Eliwood sheathed the rapier, he heard a knock at the door. Eliwood looked up in surprise. Who could it be at this hour? Breakfast wouldn't be for another hour at least, by which time most of the inn's lodgers would be awake, and the cleaner didn't come in until after lunch. There was only one way to find out. Eliwood stretched and yawned slightly as he got up off the bed. He knew it wasn't good for him to miss out on a night's sleep. If his mother was around, she'd probably be furious. Closing his mind from such thoughts, Eliwood walked to the door. As he opened it, he saw the innkeeper's wife standing on the other side. She was a middle-aged woman with brown hair and a slightly plump body. She was still in her dressing gown, suggesting that she had just been woken up.

"Sorry to wake you, Lord Eliwood," she said, stifling a yawn.

"You didn't," Eliwood replied, leaning on the doorframe. "I couldn't sleep."

The woman was suddenly wide awake. "I hope it isn't any problem with our room or service," she said with a slight quiver in her voice.

Eliwood smiled, resisting the urge to laugh. "Rest assured, it isn't. I've just had a lot on my mind lately." Even though Eliwood might have been willing to twist the truth a little bit if necessary to calm the woman down, there was no lie in his answer. He had been thinking about all the events that had happened four days ago, from his rescue of Ninian to meeting Lyn. Even now, he was wondering how they were both getting on. He doubted that Ninian was in any more danger just yet, but he was quite worried for Lyn. She was headed into danger, and there was nothing that could be done to avoid it.

"Well, I'm glad that our services meet your expectations," the innkeeper's wife said. "Now what was I here for? Ah yes, there is a young woman downstairs who wants to see you."

"What does she look like?" Eliwood asked, although he had a feeling that he already knew who it was.

"She has long, dark green hair. I would say she's Sacaen. Shall I send her away?"

"No!" Eliwood said hurriedly. There could be no doubt that it was Lyn that the innkeeper's wife had described. But he thought that some explanation was warranted. It wasn't every day that a Lycian noble met with a woman of the plains. "She is a friend of mine. I told her to come here if she needed my help. Send her up."

The innkeeper's wife shrugged. "Whatever you say, my lord." She bowed to Eliwood before leaving. Eliwood shook his head. He couldn't even stay in an inn without treating him like that. Still, he knew that it was the price that must be paid for being nobility. He sighed as he sat down on the bed.

It wasn't long before Eliwood heard footsteps coming towards the door. As the footsteps grew louder, Eliwood stood up. A few moments later, Lyn stepped through the door. She looked a lot worse than when Eliwood had seen her last. There were blood stains across her dress, her hair was a mess and the sacks beneath her eyes suggested that she hadn't been getting any sleep. Her face seemed devoid of life. She was panting heavily, and she stumbled slightly as she walked towards Eliwood.

"Sit down," Eliwood said, pointing to the bed. As Lyn sat down, Eliwood closed the door behind them. He leant back on the door, took a deep breath and asked, "What happened?" Lyn didn't seem able to answer, and her eyes seemed glazed over as she stared at the floor. "Just start from when you got into Caelin. I would imagine that's when the problem arose."

Lyn nodded, but still avoided eye contact with Eliwood. "When we got into Caelin, we were attacked. Lundgren had deployed a ballista, and we were lucky not to get hit by its shots."

"A ballista?" Eliwood gasped, his eyes wide open. "That's no mean feat. Last time I checked, Caelin didn't have any siege equipment, and any territory wanting to get more siege equipment has to get it cleared by the Lycian Council first. Lord Lundgren must be getting desperate."

Lyn sighed. "I don't see why he even has to. He already seems to have Caelin under his complete control."

"What do you mean?"

"While we tried to deal with the ballista, we were attacked by Caelin soldiers."

"What? You mean Lord Lundgren was actually making official attempts on your life?" Eliwood frowned. "There must be more traitors in Caelin than I thought, if the army follows those sorts of orders." Eliwood couldn't believe that a large part of any army would betray their liege lord, but it seemed to be the only plausible explanation.

Lyn closed her eyes and spoke in a whisper. "But that's the problem: they're not traitors, or at least they don't think they are. Kent and Sain said that they had trained with many of them, and knew that they were honourable men; and yet they attacked us without hesitation."

"But why would they do that? Surely they've heard of you from Marquess Caelin. Everyone in _Lycia_ seems to have heard of you."

Lyn was silent for a moment. "Matthew went into a village during the battle, and he found the answer. My grandfather has been ill and abed for nearly three months now. People have been saying that he is being poisoned by Lundgren, but they refuse to speak out because they are afraid and lack proof."

"I had heard similar rumours, but there's no evidence and unfortunately, in Lycia the words of the common people mean nothing. A lord who listens to the will of his people is looked upon as strange." Eliwood knew that his father frequently generated controversy among the Lycian nobility for the benevolent manner in which he treated his subjects.

Lyn didn't comment on that. "In the time since my grandfather fell ill, Lundgren has had control over Caelin. He has used that power to spread a rumour. Lundgren is telling the people that an impostor has appeared, claiming to be the marquess' granddaughter." Eliwood wanted to say something, but Lyn continued. "Which means that the people are looking for two traitorous knights and a baseborn child to come and lay claim to Castle Caelin." Lyn closed her eyes and looked down at the floor. "My own people think I'm a liar."

Eliwood walked over to Lyn and put a hand on her shoulder. He knelt down and lifted her head up so that they were eye to eye. Lyn looked like she was trying hard not to cry. "Lyndis," Eliwood said, "remember that the people of Caelin believe that Lord Lundgren is poisoning Marquess Caelin. They just aren't able to speak out about it. It doesn't matter how much Lord Lundgren tries to convince them of his innocence, their opinion will remain the same. What many nobles don't realize is that you can't change the opinions of the people: you can only silence them. Lyndis, I rode through parts of Caelin shortly after your grandfather announced that you existed, and the happiness of the people could be seen everywhere. Before they knew of you, Caelin was in a state of decline. The Marquess had grown old, and Lord Lundgren isn't much younger. As far as they knew, both were essentially childless. Few believed that Caelin would last another generation. You gave them hope that it could. They believed your story then, when you were in Sacae. They will believe it when you're right by them."

Some of the life had returned to Lyn's face, and Eliwood could once again see the woman he had met four days ago. "Do you really believe that, Eliwood?" she asked.

Eliwood smiled. "I do." His expression suddenly became grimmer. "But even though that is the case Lyn, that doesn't mean anything if your grandfather dies. He is the only one who has the power and the motivation to make it official that you are who you say you are. If he dies, then Lundgren will have the throne of Caelin, and you will be powerless to stop him. Lyndis, you must go back to Caelin. In spite of the danger, you must defeat Lundgren before it is too late. You have to do it for your grandfather, for the people of Caelin and…" Eliwood trailed off. Taking a deep breath, he added, "…for me." Lyn's mouth hung open in shock. Eliwood silently cursed himself. He could see how that might have interpreted very wrongly. "Lyndis, I can tell how much you want to see your grandfather. The last thing I want is to see you fall into despair because of this."

The look of shock was gone from Lyn's face, replaced instead with a look of anxiety. "But Eliwood, there's another problem. Lundgren has sent a call for aid from the neighbouring territories. Any reinforcements they send will surely reach Castle Caelin before us, and they would have even if we hadn't come back here. Lundgren would have seen to that. As foul a man as he is, he seems to have the necessary cunning to ensure that." There was a look of anger in Lyn's eyes that Eliwood had only seen when she had been talking about the bandits that had killed her parents. "It would be a struggle to achieve victory even if it we only had to fight Caelin's armies. If we have to fight others, then victory will be impossible."

Eliwood smiled. "Well Lyndis, it seems like you're finally having a bit of luck." Lyn gave Eliwood a blank stare. "Have you forgotten? I told you when I met you four days ago that there was a meeting of the Lycian Council to discuss the issue of you, your grandfather and Lord Lundgren."

Before Eliwood could say anything else, Lyn said, "But surely that's over now."

Eliwood chuckled. "Lyndis, one other thing you must learn about nobles is that it takes them forever to decide anything. They've probably just agreed that Caelin exists." Lyn laughed at this comment. "Anyway, no one from Caelin was invited owing to the fact that Lord Lundgren would probably be sent in your grandfather's place, and there would be far too much bias there. So Lord Lundgren doesn't even know about the meeting. He's going to send messengers to other territories, but there will be no one there with enough power to declare any major military action. But the Marquesses will return to their territories in a few days. So you must reach Castle Caelin as quickly as you possibly can. Hopefully, any reinforcements that are being sent won't reach there before you do."

"Yes," Lyn said. "I'll leave immediately." She stood up and walked towards the door. Eliwood walked with her.

As Lyn was opening the door, Eliwood stopped her. He had just thought of something. "Wait a minute," he said. "You said that Lord Lundgren had sent messengers to Caelin's neighbours. Would that include Santaruz?" Eliwood sincerely hoped that the answer wasn't what he thought it was.

Lyn shrugged. She had a rather blank expression on her face. "Well, I'm not familiar with the locations of the various territories, but if Santaruz is near Caelin, then I suppose it would. Why does it matter?"

Eliwood closed his eyes and covered his frowning face with one of his hands. It was as he had feared. "The meeting of the Lycian Council is being held in Santaruz. That messenger is going to be able to deliver his message to the marquess of every territory. Without any evidence from you, I fear some of them will side with Lundgren. Although they won't be able to do much, Marquess Santaruz might be pressured enough to send out his army. He is a good man, but he can be pressured into doing things he doesn't want to do."

"I suppose there's not much we can do about that," Lyn said with a sigh.

"Yes, there is," Eliwood replied. He walked towards the bed, picked up his rapier and buckled it to his belt. "I must leave, and leave quickly." He hastily put his armour and cloak on. "With any luck, I may be able to reach the Lycian Council before the messenger, or at least before they have been able to make any decision based on his information."

"But Eliwood, Castle Caelin is supposed to be a ten-day journey from here, and Santaruz is surely further than that. You won't make it in time! Just let me deal with this."

"Lyn, that's if you walk, and if you take breaks. If I ride hard and fast, without taking any breaks, I should be able to make it to Santaruz within two days. And besides Lyn, I want to help. If there's even a chance that what I'm doing will help you, then I'll take it." Eliwood walked towards one of the cupboards. He took out a quill and a piece of parchment, and wrote a short note. "Give this note to the innkeeper," Eliwood said as he handed the parchment to Lyn. "He will allow you to stay in the inn free of charge. The bill will be sent to my father."

"I'm coming with you!" Lyn said boldly. She had that fire in her eyes again, just like when she had told Eliwood about how she planned to get revenge on the bandits that killed her tribe. "I want to speak for myself."

"Lyn, you'd only slow me down. Pherae's horses are faster than those of any other territory. You wouldn't be able to keep up with me, even if you borrowed a horse from someone else." This answer didn't seem to satisfy Lyn. "Lyndis, you will get your chance to prove yourself. For now though, I need to move swiftly. Besides, you could use the rest." Lyn nodded, although she still didn't seem satisfied.

Eliwood walked out of the room, and Lyn followed. They hurried down the steps and out of the building. Eliwood saw the same three horses and Pegasus he had seen four days ago were once again tied up outside. They presumably belonged to Lyn's group. "You can keep them in the stable," Eliwood said, pointing at the animals. Lyn nodded in reply.

The stable was built on to the side of the inn, but there was no door connecting them, so Eliwood and Lyn had to use the outer door. Eliwood opened the door, and he and Lyn stepped inside. The inn wasn't getting many guests recently, so the only horse there was Old Faithful. The horse had its muzzle buried in a manger filled with hay. Eliwood stroked its mane. The horse grunted in reply. "Come on," Eliwood said soothingly, "you're going back to Marcus." Those words seemed to improve the horse's mood, as it lifted its head out of the manger and stood there, ready to be ridden. Lyn had a puzzled look on her face. "Marcus is head of the knights of Pherae," Eliwood explained. "He's at the Lycian Council in my father's stead, and this horse belongs to him." Eliwood put a saddle on the horse and began tying the reins to its head. "Sometimes horses take a bit of convincing before they'll let anyone other than their owner ride them."

"Don't you have your own horse?" Lyn asked.

"I did," Eliwood replied as he got up onto the horse, "but it was killed while I was rescuing Ninian." He didn't like to be reminded of that.

Lyn grasped Eliwood's arm, and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sure that horse meant a lot to you."

Eliwood gently shook his arm free, shrugging his shoulders as he did so. "That's alright. A human life is worth more than that of a horse." Holding the reins, Eliwood turned to face Lyn. "I should be back within five days. If I'm not back by then, then move on to Caelin, and I will meet you on the way."

Lyn nodded. "Good luck, Eliwood."

Eliwood nodded back. He gave Old Faithful a light kick under the saddle. The horse accelerated out as it galloped out of the stable. The ride was as rough as it had been on the way to Khathelet, and Eliwood wasn't looking forward to the long road ahead. He wished that he could have Zephyr back, but he knew that that could never happen. Instead, Eliwood reminded himself that there were more important things at stake here than his own comfort. Right now, the life of Lord Hausen, and the fate of Caelin itself, were both in his hands.

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Nearly two days later, Eliwood finally reached Santaruz. The journey had been long, and Eliwood was now tired and sore. He had nearly fallen out of the saddle once, and since then had been trying to avoid closing his eyes unless it was absolutely necessary. He had started reciting tales of the Scouring in an attempt to stay awake.

Eliwood passed by the homesteads, but didn't bother to stop. He had to reach Castle Santaruz before Lord Lundgren's messenger. It didn't matter that he was tired now, for there would be plenty of time to rest later. Right now, people's lives hung in the balance.

Finally, Eliwood reached Castle Santaruz itself. While its size wasn't on the scale of the larger castles in Ostia, Araphen and Laus, it was still a large and imposing structure. The grey stonework of the outer wall extended high into the air, high enough so that it would be impossible to climb over it with most ladders. The towers extended even higher, and Eliwood just hoped that none of the guards suffered from vertigo. Finally, the large main gate, the only entrance into the castle itself, was made of thick, reinforced metal. Eliwood guessed that it must have weighed well over a ton. Truly, to take this castle would be nearly impossible.

As Eliwood rode up to the main gate, one of the two guards standing outside shouted, "Open the gate!" The gate slowly opened, revealing the courtyard beyond. Eliwood was grateful for being able to enter without delay, but not surprised. He regularly came to Castle Santaruz, and was on very good terms with Lord Helman, the elderly marquess. In fact, Eliwood had heard some people remark that Lord Helman looked upon Eliwood like a father would look upon a son, for the marquess himself was childless. Eliwood sometimes wondered what would happen to Santaruz when Lord Helman died, but now was not the time for such thoughts. He had more important matters to attend to.

Eliwood rode past the gate and into the courtyard. It was a beautiful place, filled with lush plant life and pristine, white paving. A fountain was the courtyard's centerpiece. As Eliwood dismounted, one of the guards came to take Old Faithful to the stables. It was standard procedure, and Eliwood was well acquainted with it. He noticed that the guard looked surprised upon seeing that Eliwood was not riding his usual horse. Clearly Marcus hadn't told the guard about the incident involving Ninian and the black-robed men.

Leaving the guard to his duties, Eliwood walked up the steps towards the keep. The walls of the keep looked more ornate than the outer walls, but Eliwood doubted that they were any less sturdy. The door to the keep, which was smaller than the main gate, was currently open, so Eliwood was able to enter the keep without any interruption.

The inside of the keep looked more like a palace than a fortress. The ceiling of the entrance hall seemed to stretch up to the heavens. On each side of the hall, there was a grand staircase, and they both met at the top. Paintings of long-dead nobles and forgotten times adorned the walls. The largest and most magnificent was a painting of the legendary hero Roland slaying an ice dragon during the Scouring. Roland's sword, Durandal, was on fire. The hero was in a crouch, presumably having just landed after having taken a leaping lunge at the dragon. The dragon was rearing back in pain, its light blue blood gushing out of the massive gash across its chest. Standing in the shadow of a hero as great as Roland made Eliwood feel very small.

With a shake of his head, Eliwood attempted to clear his mind of such thoughts. For now though, Eliwood had to find where the Lycian Council was meeting. He assumed that they would be meeting in the castle's dining hall, for it was one of the few rooms that was both large and grand enough for such a meeting. The entrance to the dining hall was a large double door in between the two flights of stairs in the entrance hall. Eliwood walked towards the door, only to find two other people already there. One was a guard of the castle, whose red armour barely stood out from the brown door to the dining hall that he was guarding. However, Eliwood's main focus was on the other person. The other man wore similar armour and clothing to the Santaruz guard, except that it was green in colour. Green was the colour that the Caelin soldiers wore. That man must have been Lord Lundgren's messenger. Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't too late.

Eliwood walked up to the Santaruz guard. The guard bowed to Eliwood. "Greetings Lord Eliwood," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"I wish to talk to Marquess Santaruz," Eliwood said firmly.

"The Marquess is in a meeting right now," the guard replied, briefly glancing at the Caelin soldier, and added in a whisper, "a meeting that I'm sure you've heard about."

Eliwood had been expecting this, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. "I bring information of great value to said meeting."

The guard shrugged. "Well, I would like to let you through, Lord Eliwood, but the marquess has specifically said that he is not to be disturbed."

Eliwood was getting very frustrated now. He had ridden for nearly two days without any rest to get here, and now all that stood between him and the Lycian Council was a lone guard. Eliwood leaned over and whispered in the guard's ear. "Look, one of my father's knights is hear to represent Pherae, isn't he?" The guard nodded. "Well, I am replacing him in this capacity."

"Are you allowed to do that without a note from your father?" the guard whispered back.

"I am now," Eliwood lied. He wasn't really allowed to replace Marcus without his father's permission. But there clearly wasn't time to get permission, and he was sure that his father would understand.

The guard looked at Eliwood with a hint of suspicion, but then smiled. "Very well, Lord Eliwood, you may pass." Eliwood could tell that the guard hadn't believed his story for a minute, and had probably just been waiting for Eliwood to come up with a decent excuse to pass. Eliwood walked past the guard and pushed the large doors open. They hit the walls with a loud thud. Every head at the long table turned to face Eliwood. As the Santaruz guard closed the door, Eliwood took a brief moment to look around the dining room, for he hadn't been in here often before. The dining room was long and narrow. The ceiling wasn't as high as that of the entrance hall, but the magnificent chandeliers that hung down made it look even more magestic. But the long table, where the marquess and his closest friends (although those were considerably fewer nowadays) ate their meals, was where Eliwood's eyes finally focused. Now, the table was the seating place for the Lycian Council. The eyes of the marquesses of the various territories of Lycia, most of whom were elderly men, were now upon him. Eliwood noticed that two seats were empty, presumably the places where Marquess Caelin and Araphen, neither of whom were here, would normally sit. Marcus was sitting in the seat that was normally reserved for Eliwood's father, and the knight seemed more surprised than anyone else to see Eliwood here.

"My lords," Eliwood said, before turning to where Marcus sat, "Marcus." Marcus stood up and bowed, but the others remained in their seats and didn't speak. Marcus quietly sat down.

Finally, Lord Uther, who owing to his position as head of the Lycian Council was sitting at the head of the table, stood up. Lord Uther looked much like Hector, except his hair was a bit darker, he had a small goatee and his face was scarred. Eliwood didn't know for sure, but he imagined that Lord Uther had gotten those scars in battle. He was garbed in similar clothing to what Hector wore, but more formal in nature. "Well met, Eliwood," Uther said in a youthful (for he was in fact the youngest of those present, with the exception of Eliwood) but raspy voice. "What brings you here?" He pointed at Marcus. "We already have a representative from Pherae, and with all due respect I imagine that he would be more well-informed of these matters than you."

"I am more well-informed of these matters than any of you," Eliwood replied calmly. Some of the lords at the table started whispering amongst themselves, while others just stared at Eliwood in disbelief. Sensing Lord Uther's next question, Eliwood said, "I have met the Lady Lyndis."

There was a loud cough from near the head of the table. The cough had come from Lord Darin, Marquess of Laus, one of the most powerful territories in Lycia. He was a well-built, middle aged man who wore heavy gold armour. His hair was purple, and his face was just starting to show the first signs of aging. Still, compared to most of the other marquesses, he was quite young. Eliwood was quite good friends with Lord Darin's son Erik, with whom he had studied with in Ostia, but he had never gotten along too well with the Marquess of Laus himself. "You mean the woman who _claims _to be the Lady Lyndis," Lord Darin said.

"I believe that she is telling the truth. She has the appearance of her mother and the eyes of her grandfather, Marquess Caelin. And the proud people of Sacae tell no lies." Eliwood gestured toward the empty seat opposite Lord Darin. "If Marquess Araphen was here, then he would agree with me, for he has also met the Lady Lyndis."

Lord Darin glared at Eliwood, but before either could say anything, Lord Uther said, "Actually Eliwood, we have received a letter from Marquess Araphen," pulling out a piece of parchment from his pocket. "He sends his apologies, but claims that he was needed in Araphen to deal with the aftermath of an attack. I'm sure you heard about it from the Lady Lyndis, as she was apparently there at the time." Lord Darin was positively fuming now.

"Indeed I have," Eliwood replied, paying no notice to Lord Darin. "Those who were present all believe that the attackers were after the Lady Lyndis. They believe the group was sent by Lord Lundgren to kill her."

"This is absurd!" Lord Darin shouted as he rose from his chair. "Lord Lundgren is an honourable man! He would never do such a thing!"

Lord Uther raised his hand. "Lord Darin, if you don't mind, we are not discussing Lord Lundgren now," he said. "We are simply trying to figure out if the Lady Lyndis is who she claims to be." Lord Darin sat down slowly, not taking his eyes off Eliwood. Lord Uther ignored the Marquess of Laus. "Anyway, in his letter, Marquess Araphen also spoke of the Lady Lyndis herself. He said that she did indeed bare an uncanny resemblance to Lady Madelyn, and that he believes that she is truly Marquess Caelin's granddaughter. However, he also said that we shouldn't give her any aid."

"Well, Lord Uther," Eliwood said, "Marquess Araphen's hatred of the people of Sacae is well-known, as are his reasons." The people at the table silently nodded their heads in agreement. They had all heard the story of how Marquess Araphen had been in love with Lady Madelyn, and of how he had grown to hate the people of Sacae since the day she and Lyn's father had eloped together.

Lord Uther was reading the piece of parchment as he nodded. "Indeed, Eliwood, I could not agree with you more. What matters is that Marquess Araphen truly believes that the Lady Lyndis is who she claims to be. And we now have you to back up her story as well."

Eliwood stepped closer to the table. "There are also the two Caelin knights that were sent by Lord Hausen to find the Lady Lyndis, and who were with her when I met her."

"Those men have betrayed their knightly vows!" Lord Darin said, slamming his fist down on the table, causing it to shake. Some of the marquesses looked like they were about to have a heart attack.

Part of Eliwood felt fear now. Lord Darin was a strong man and an excellent fighter. Eliwood didn't want to anger him to the point where a brawl might break up. Apart from the diplomatic implications of such action, there was the simple fact that someone was bound to get. Eliwood took a deep breath, and the fear was gone. "With all due respect, Lord Darin, I doubt that is the case. I know Marquess Caelin quite well, and I know that he would not send someone on a matter of this importance unless he had the utmost trust in them. Anyone whom Marquess Caelin trusted that much would not betray him."

Lord Darin grinned and leant back in his chair. "Ah, but Marquess Caelin trusts Lord Lundgren, and yet you are claiming that he would try to kill Lord Hausen's own granddaughter! You can't have it both ways."

"Lord Darin," Eliwood replied calmly, "sometimes love can blind a person from the truth. I doubt that Marquess Caelin has truly trusted Lord Lundgren for a long time. He has simply been unable to accept that Lord Lundgren has betrayed that trust. For all we know, he might have realized Lord Lundgren's betrayal by now, and he is simply unable to speak out about it."

Darin pointed an accusing finger at Eliwood. "You have no evidence to back up that claim!"

"And you have no evidence to back up yours, Lord Darin," Lord Uther said. "All we have are opinions. But what matters is that the only two people who have contacted us who have seen the Lady Lyndis with their own eyes both believe that she is telling the truth."

"Has it ever occurred to you, Marquess Ostia," Lord Darin said, "that those people might be _lying_?"

Marcus had risen from his chair in an instant: his presence seemed to fill the room. His normally calm demeanour was replaced with a look of pure hatred, and the fire in his eyes was directed directly towards Lord Darin. His hands were pressed down firmly on the tablecloth, which was being creased as Marcus slowly scrunched his hands into fists.

"Marcus!" Eliwood commanded. "Sit down." Marcus hesitated for a moment, before slowly sitting down. His glaring eyes were still laid upon Lord Darin. "Lord Darin," Eliwood said in a much calmer tone, "for all we know, you may be right. Marquess Araphen and I could both be lying. But then again, any one of us in this room could be lying at any time. For all we know, someone in this room could be planning to seize control of all of Lycia. But such thinking will get us nowhere. If we always thought like that, then we wouldn't be able to recognize when people are trying to help us. We would spend so much time looking for the poisoned chalice, that we would overlook the one containing the very elixir that could save our life."

"Eliwood is right," Lord Uther said. "Together, we are a prosperous, relatively safe nation. Divided, we are nothing more than a group of bickering minor territories. And it is impossible for us to stay united if we do not have some degree of trust between us. Regardless, what we think regarding the degree of truth in Lady Lyndis' story does not matter. The only one with the authority to legitimise Lady Lyndis' claim to the throne of Caelin is Marquess Caelin, and Lord Hausen is dying. Regardless of what you believe to be the cause of his illness, there can be no doubt that he will not survive long."

"Then I bid you take action." The eyes of those at the table were all upon Eliwood now. The Lycian Council was rarely a place where action was decided, least of all by someone who was not a marquess. "Lord Lundgren has sent out messengers to Caelin's neighbours, asking for aid to find and kill the Lady Lyndis." Eliwood pointed at the door he had come in by. "One of those messengers is right outside the door."

There were whispers among the people at the table, and Eliwood couldn't even make out vague snippets of conversation. It was Lord Darin who finally spoke up above the rest. "Then let's let the messenger in, and we will hear Lord Lundgren's request ourselves!"

"Lord Darin we cannot do that!" Lord Uther said with a firmness Eliwood had never seen in him before. "This meeting was kept a secret from Caelin for the specific reason that we can no longer assume that the will of any representative Caelin represents is anywhere near the will of Marquess Caelin himself. Lord Helman will no doubt meet with the messenger in private later on, but not until we have decided who we will side with in this conflict."

"Well we cannot side with the girl!" Lord Darin exclaimed. There was a brief pause as everyone at the table looked at the marquess. In a calmer, quieter tone, he added, "I mean, imagine how the people would react. It would cause chaos."

Eliwood had had enough. He put his hands down on the table and leant over. "How can we expect the people to stand by us when we will not stand by one of our own?" he said, his eyes sweeping over those present at the table. The eyes of the lords were once again upon him. Eliwood couldn't believe that he had just questioned the Lycian Council in such a manner. He started sweating as he waited for a response.

It was Lord Darin who broke the silence. "The girl isn't one of us," he sneered. "She may be descended from one of us, but the blood of the Sacae has tainted whatever nobility she may have had claim to."

Eliwood could feel his legs shaking, but he knew he had to remain calm, for Lyn's sake. He closed his eyes for a moment, and took a few deep breaths. As he opened his eyes again, he said calmly, "And are all of you gentlemen pure-blood Lycians? I think we all know better than to believe that. One of Lord Uther's ancestors was from the Western Isles. Some of you have married women from Bern. And if I'm not much mistaken, Lord Darin, the woman with who bore you a son was an Etrurian. Are you saying that Lord Erik will not inherit the throne of Laus when you die?"

Lord Darin rose from his chair, seething. Eliwood could instantly tell that he'd hit a nerve. Marquess Laus did not like to discuss his late wife. "That's different! She was a noble, not some filthy Sacaen nomad!"

"That Sacaen nomad was the chieftain of the Lorca Clan, as pure a descendant of one of the Eight Generals as your late wife. Are you honestly saying, Lord Darin, that Hannon was any less of a hero than Roland or St Elimine?" Lord Darin stood there for a moment. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, for his lips moved, but no sound came out. Instead, he sat down, his eyes still upon Eliwood.

Lord Uther spoke. "I agree with you Eliwood, in part. There can be no doubt that Lady Lyndis' claim to the throne of Caelin is as legitimate as our claims to our own thrones. However, I'm afraid that we cannot side with her."

"What?" Eliwood said, unable to believe what he was hearing. "But you just said that she had a legitimate claim to the throne! Are you honestly suggesting that we should cast aside our principles?"

"Eliwood, your heart is in the right place, but you fail to see the bigger picture. We can't afford to get into unnecessary conflicts within our own borders. Surely you have heard of the odd behaviour that King Desmond of Bern has been showing lately. If he sees any weakness in Lycia's defenses, then he will attack with the entire might of his army behind him. That would be disastrous."

"So are we just going to abandon Lyn to certain death? I expected better from you, Lord Uther." Eliwood instantly knew that he had made a mistake. By calling Lyn by the shorter version of her name, Eliwood had made it obvious that they were friends. The Lycian Council was unlikely to listen to the words of someone with such an obvious bias.

Lord Uther sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the relative youthfulness in his face had vanished. "Eliwood, I was once like you," Lord Uther said grimly. "It was only a year ago that my parents died, and I have only been Marquess Ostia for a few months. But in that time, I have seen and learnt a lot. The most important thing I've learnt is that the safety of the people is paramount. It even comes before my own principles. Do yourself a favour, Eliwood, and keep your father alive for as long as possible. No one should have to take up the duties of a marquess at a young age. Politics will make bitter old men of us all."

Eliwood knew that the matter was settled. It would be impossible to convince the Lycian Council now. Any mention of Bern among Lycian nobles was a guarantee that they would take the safest possible course. Bern was the biggest military power on the continent of Elibe, and because it was right next to Lycia, the Lycian nobles had learned to be ever-watchful. The results had been seen here today. Eliwood had failed Lyn. There was no sense in staying any longer.

Before Eliwood could excuse himself, Lord Darin spoke up. "Well, if we wish for this conflict to be resolved without attracting Bern's attention, then I have a plan." Eliwood was filled with a feeling of dread. Another thing that had been shown here today was that Lord Darin's opinions were vastly different from his own. Any plan that Lord Darin came up with would only make the situation worse for Lyn. "We could send a small detachment of soldiers to defend Castle Caelin. That would be enough to make any attempt on the girl's part to take the castle hopeless. She would most likely just give up and leave, without the need for any bloodshed. Such a small force would be unlikely to attract Bern's attention, and we could always just say that they had been sent to deal with bandit raids, just in case Bern did find out." There was a general murmur of approval amongst the people at the table.

Eliwood knew he had to think of something fast. If Lord Darin was allowed to go through with his plan, then Lyn wouldn't stand a chance, and Eliwood knew that most of the people at the table seemed to like the plan. He racked his brain in an attempt to think of a way out, but nothing seemed to come to him. Strangely he could only think of only one thing. He decided to mention that and play the rest by ear. "Speaking of bandits," Eliwood said, "I am reminded of a group of bandits I encountered near Khathelet." That certainly attracted the attention of those at the table, particularly Marcus and Marquess Khathelet.

"What?" Marquess Khathelet replied. "Bandits in my lands?" Like most of the other marquesses, Marquess Khathelet was quite old, but his hair was only a light grey, as opposed to the white that most of the other people at the table had. However, his wrinkled face betrayed the fact that he was just as old as the others.

"Yes, my lord, bandits," Eliwood said. He knew that he had to drag this on until he could think of a plan. "Marcus can back me up on this story, as he was with me at the time. I was on my way to Khathelet for my bimonthly spar with Hector." At these words, the people at the table, with the exception of Lord Uther and Marcus, shook their heads silently. Hector was not popular amongst the other Lycian nobles, both because of his seemingly rude manner his general disregard for certain rules and authority figures. "Anyway, on the way, Marcus and I encountered a group of bandits. They had a young girl who appeared to have been taken against her will, and I wished for them to let her go. Unfortunately, we had to resort to combat in order to rescue her, but we were successful."

"What did these bandits look like?" Marquess Khathelet asked, looking intently at Eliwood.

"They were garbed entirely in black, with the exception of their leader, who wore standard mercenary clothing and armour. The leader had blond hair and a beard, but it was impossible to tell what the others looked like under their hoods." Eliwood noticed that several of the lords, including Lord Uther and Lord Darin, had grown increasingly restless during that description.

Unlike those lords, Marquess Khathelet simply seemed curious and faintly surprised. "That sounds like a very well-organised group."

"Indeed, they were," Eliwood said. It was at that moment that he got an idea. "In fact, it's possible that they were Bern forces traveling incognito. I mean, it was quite near the border." Eliwood could tell by the shocked look on the faces of the marquesses and the whispering around the table that he had struck gold. Marcus simply smiled at Eliwood. Eliwood could tell that Marcus had seen right through his semi-lie, but the knight seemed willing to play along.

Lord Uther spoke above the whispering. "Well, Eliwood, it is an interesting possibility that you raise. However, it does have one flaw. What interest would Bern forces have in this girl?"

"I cannot say that I know for sure, Lord Uther, but I think it would be a fairly safe guess that she had some sort of information that was important to Bern. In fact, I later found out that the group had taken the girl from a small village in Khathelet, and it was there that I met the Lady Lyndis. Perhaps the girl had heard something important about the Caelin issue, and she was kidnapped in an attempt to obtain the information." Eliwood noticed that both Lord Uther and Lord Darin were watching him more intently than ever now.

"Where did you leave the girl?" Lord Uther asked.

"I left her in Khathelet with her younger brother, who was with the Lady Lyndis. What happened to her after that, I do not know."

"How can you be sure that this boy was the girl's younger brother? I mean, for all we know, he could have been a Bern spy. Not that I'm doubting you, Eliwood, but we simply need to explore all possibilities."

"The resemblance between the two was uncanny, and they both looked unusual enough to make any chance of Bern having someone who looked like them in their service virtually Nils - I mean nil." Upon seeing the quizzical look he was getting from the people at the table, Eliwood said, "The boy's name was Nils, and the girl was called Ninian."

Lord Darin nearly leapt out of his chair, but he managed to keep himself down. As if to explain that reaction, he said, "So you just left two people who could have had vital information behind? I mean, this mysterious group could easily kidnap them again, assuming that there is any truth in your story."

Eliwood just managed to avoid flinching. It was true, he hadn't considered the possibility of Ninian being kidnapped again. For all he knew, she and Nils could be in the clutches of those black-robed men right now. He would never forgive himself if that was the case. But he knew that it did no use to worry about such things. He would have to look into it later. For now, he was here for Lyn's sake, and he had to follow this conversation through to a satisfactory conclusion. "My apologies, Lord Darin," Eliwood said calmly, "but the idea of these black-robed men being from Bern had not occurred to me at the time. From now on, whenever I am rescuing somebody, I shall be sure to think of any possible conspiracies they may be involved in." For a brief moment, Eliwood almost thought he saw Marcus laugh, but the knight returned to his normal stern expression almost instantly.

Lord Darin seemed unfazed, as if he had a plan of some sort. "But you didn't even think to question the girl, did you? You probably don't even know why she was with those black-robed men. You just instantly jumped to the conclusion that she was a damsel in distress, and that those black-robed men were the villains. For all you know, the girl could have committed a crime, and those men could have been bringing her to justice."

Much to Eliwood's surprise, it was Marcus who spoke up next. He had been silent ever since Eliwood had come in, but now he seemed ready to speak. "You know, Lord Darin," he said, a faint smile on his face, "That's remarkably similar to what the leader of the black-robed group said. What a fascinating coincidence." Lord Darin was clearly fazed by these words. While Eliwood doubted that Marquess Laus had anything to do with those black-robed men, Marcus' cunning was undeniable. "I can see what you're trying to do here. You're trying to disprove Lord Eliwood's theory that those black-robed men were Bern forces. Why, I do not know. But there can be no doubt that those men were incredibly well-organised: so well-organised, in fact, that they must certainly have some degree of connection to a government of a country. Now, because they were so close to the border, it is logical to assume that the government with which they had ties was either Bern's or Lycia's. Now, since you seem to be of the opinion that it cannot be Bern's, then I suppose you will not mind if we arrange an in-depth investigation into the activities of all of the marquesses? Just to make sure that no one here is doing anything sinister behind our backs."

"No!" Lord Darin shouted instantly. In a calmer voice, he added, "I mean, I don't think that will prove necessary. I agree with lord Eliwood, I believe those black-robed men were from Bern. I was simply… testing him. And he passed."

"Well, Lord Darin," Eliwood said, "you can see why we can't send any troops to Caelin. The black-robed men probably have their headquarters quite close to Caelin, given that they were riding in that general direction. We would certainly attract their attention if we sent even a small amount of soldiers. And that, as Lord Uther said before, would be disastrous."

Lord Darin glared at Eliwood. "Just because I agree that those black-robed men came from Bern doesn't mean I think that they'll notice if we send some troops."

"Lord Darin, these men are professionals. They probably noticed those messengers Lord Lundgren sent out."

"You're just looking for an excuse for us to not send troops because that Sacaen girl's a friend of yours! Why must you keep arguing? We're not going to give her any aid. That much has already been decided. If we send reinforcements to Lord Lundgren, then the girl will most likely give up and go back to Sacae. But if you don't let us do this, then she will go off and get killed."

"And doesn't the fact that I'm willing to put a friend in that kind of danger tell you anything, Lord Darin? I want peace, and if we send forces to Caelin, then what we'll get is war. This is the way it has to be."

Once again, there was silence. Once again, it was Lord Uther who broke it. "Eliwood, you said that girl was in Khathelet, correct?"

Eliwood nodded, although he wasn't sure where Lord Uther was going with this. "She was when I left, and she should still be there."

"Then she will reach Caelin soon, especially when one considers that Marquess Caelin probably doesn't have long to live, if the rumours about his condition have any truth in them. Therefore, it is unlikely that all of the territories will be able to send any reinforcements in time to have any impact. The only territories that can affect this conflict now are Santaruz, Tania, Khathelet, Araphen, Tuscana and Laus. Marquess Araphen has already expressed a wish to remain neutral. The other territories now must decide. Who here will remain neutral in this conflict?"

Most of the people in question raised their hands almost instantly. Marquess Laus was the only one who kept his hand down. The eyes of everyone on the table were now upon him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Lord Darin tapped his fingers on the table.

"Lord Darin?" Lord Uther asked. "What is your vote?" Lord Darin slowly raised his hand. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, Eliwood," Lord Uther said with a smile on his face, "who won the sparring match between you and Hector?"

Eliwood smiled back. "It was a draw."

"That's good. He's always in a bad mood if he's just lost one of those matches."

Eliwood laughed, though the other people at the table once again shook their heads. There was silence again. Eliwood knew that he should leave soon. Although he had just improved Lyn's chances of reaching Castle Caelin alive, Marquess Caelin's time was short, and all Eliwood's efforts would be for naught if Marquess Caelin died before Lyn could reach him. "Now, if you excuse me, I must be going."

"Will you inform the Lady Lyndis of the results of this meeting, even though they're supposed to be highly confidential?"

"I will, and no one is going to stop me."

"I had no intention of doing so. Know that Lord Lundgren will be informed of our neutrality as well. So don't think that Lady Lyndis will have any advantage." Eliwood nodded and turned to leave. As he reached the door, Lord Uther said, "Eliwood, once you deliver your message to her, you cannot help her any further. We must _all _remain neutral in this conflict."

With a look of pure determination, Eliwood turned back to face Lord Uther. "So be it."

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The night sky was filled with stars as Eliwood rode towards Khathelet. All that could be heard was the gentle chirping of crickets and the thud as the hooves of Marcus' warhorse made contact with the ground. The faint outline of the mountains on the horizon was the only landmark that could be seen amidst the darkness.

Eliwood didn't like riding at night: it was both lonely and dangerous. But he knew that right now, he had to. Tomorrow would be the fifth day since he'd left Khathelet, and Lyn would be leaving soon, assuming she followed his instructions. If he stopped, he would surely be late. As fatigue set in, Eliwood was almost grateful for having such an uncomfortable ride, for it would probably keep him awake.

Soon, Eliwood had started reflecting on what had happened at the Lycian Council. It had not been a complete failure for him. After all, if he hadn't been there, then they might have decided to send reinforcements to aid Lundgren. As it stood, while Lyn didn't have any new allies, at least she didn't have any new enemies.

Unfortunately though, the relief had brought with it some new worries. First, he had become worried about Ninian. What if she had been kidnapped by those black-robed men again? He knew that it was a bad idea to just leave her when she was in danger. But why was he so concerned for her? He didn't even know her. He had never known himself to show such a great deal of concern for strangers before. He did care about the general wellbeing of people, but not to as great an extent as this. What was it about Ninian that made him feel like this? Eliwood shook his head, reminding himself that it was no use to think about such complex issues when he was so tired.

But what about the black-robed men themselves? Who were they, and why had they displayed such an interest in Ninian? Eliwood sincerely doubted that what he had said at the Lycian Council could really be the truth, or at least not the whole story. They couldn't just have been Bern forces. There had to be more to it than that. For one thing, why had Lord Darin been acting so suspiciously whenever anyone was mentioning that group? Did he know of them, or perhaps even have some sort of connection with them? Eliwood shook his head again. Lord Darin may have had his flaws, but he was still loyal to Lycia.

It was only as Eliwood finished that thought that he realized how heavy his eyelids had gotten. It was becoming a struggle to stay awake. Even now, his vision was getting blurry. But he had to fight the urge to sleep. If he fell asleep now, he'd probably fall off the horse. But he couldn't fight it much longer. He just needed to rest his eyes for a moment. Eliwood's eyelids slowly slid shut…

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Eliwood was awoken by a loud crowing sound. As his eyes snapped open, he saw that the sound had come from a rooster on a rooftop. It was morning, and Eliwood had made it to Khathelet. He had no idea how he'd managed to avoid falling off Old Faithful. Eliwood gently stroked the horse's mane, but it merely snorted in reply. Clearly, riding through the night had made it even grumpier than usual. Eliwood could sympathise with that, for he still felt quite tired and felt sore all over.

Ignoring the fatigue, Eliwood rode towards the inn. It was still early, so most people were just waking up. Thus, the village appeared fairly deserted. As Eliwood reached the inn, he decided to leave Old Faithful in the stables for the time being, to make sure no one tried to steal him. As he walked in, he found that the three horses and the Pegasus he had seen before were still in there. That must have meant that Lyn's group was still here.

Once Marcus' horse had been tied up, Eliwood walked towards the main building of the inn. Finding the door locked, he knocked on it loudly.

A while later, the innkeeper answered the door. He was a middle-aged, brown-haired man with a moustache. Judging by his attire, he had just woken up. Upon recognizing Eliwood, he bowed. "Greetings Lord Eliwood," he said, "What can I do for you?"

"I need to speak with a woman named Lyn," Eliwood replied. "She should be staying in a room that my father is being charged for."

The innkeeper closed his eyes for a moment, apparently attempting to jog his memory. "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed as he opened his eyes. "I know the woman you're talking about. Come in, and I'll take you to her room." Eliwood stepped in, and the innkeeper closed the door behind them. The interior of the room was still quite dark, as the shutters had not yet been opened. The innkeeper led Eliwood up the stairs. They walked down a small corridor. Finally, they came to the room where Eliwood had been staying a few days ago.

"This is the room where she's staying," the innkeeper said. "Do you want to knock, or should I?"

"I'll knock," Eliwood replied. "You can go back to your business." The innkeeper bowed to Eliwood, and then walked away. Sighing, Eliwood knocked on the door.

For a while, there was silence. Then Eliwood heard a yawn from the other side of the door, followed by indecipherable whispering. After the whispering died down, a clear, masculine voice said, "Who is it?"

Eliwood was taken aback by that question, but he supposed that Lyn and whoever was with her had every reason to be on their guard. "It's Eliwood. I need to talk to Lyndis."

"Come in," said a voice Eliwood instantly recognised as Lyn's.

Eliwood opened the door and stepped into the room. It was mostly as he remembered it, except there were now three people in it instead of one. Sitting in a chair near the door was Kent, who had his hand on the hilt of his sword as Eliwood came in. Upon recognizing Eliwood, Kent let the hand drop to his side. Eliwood guessed that it was Kent's voice that he had heard. Lying under some blankets on the floor was Florina, who appeared to be asleep. Lyn was getting out of the bed as Eliwood came in, and she stood up as he closed the door behind him. She was in the same dress that she had been in on their previous two meetings, but she had taken off the boots and gloves, and her long green hair wasn't tied up in a ponytail at present. Eliwood almost had trouble recognizing her. "Well met, Lyndis," Eliwood said.

"Good morning, Eliwood," Lyn replied, stifling a yawn. "I'm sorry about the extra company, but there weren't enough rooms for all of us to have a room to ourselves. Would you rather talk in private?"

"No, I'm fine talking here, assuming you don't think we'll wake Florina."

Lyn laughed. "No, we won't wake her. She may not look like it, but she can sleep through almost anything. Besides, we'll probably be wanting to leave as soon as you've said what you have to say." Her face took on a more anxious expression. "So, how did it go?"

"Well, I was able to talk to the Lycian Council before Lord Lundgren's messenger. They agree that you are indeed Marquess Caelin's granddaughter."

Lyn's mood seemed to lighten at this news. "And how did they respond to Lundgren's request for reinforcements?"

"Well, I didn't actually see them listen to the messenger, but the council swore that they wouldn't lend Lord Lundgren their aid." Eliwood took a deep breath as he prepared to tell Lyn the bad news. "Unfortunately, they will not lend you any aid either. They have sworn _complete _neutrality in this conflict."

Lyn seemed saddened by this news, although she was clearly trying to avoid letting it show. "I suppose that's as good as we can hope for."

Eliwood frowned. He hadn't finished telling the bad news yet. "Unfortunately, because Lycia has sworn complete neutrality, that means I cannot aid you any further. If I aided you, then it would be seen as Pherae itself giving aid, and then all of the territories would start aiding one side or the other. The results would be disastrous. I'm sorry."

Lyn smiled. "That's fine, Eliwood. You've done more than enough for me already. I won't waste this opportunity you've given me."

Eliwood tried hard to stifle a yawn, but failed. "Well, I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I must be getting back to Pherae."

Lyn walked towards Eliwood with an exasperated look on her face. "But you've only just arrived! Shouldn't you rest a little bit first?"

"Lyn, I've already been gone from Pherae for longer than I was supposed to me. My mother's probably worrying herself sick about me. I'll be fine." Part of Eliwood doubted that. He had never ridden for as long as hard as he had over the past few days. He was exhausted, and what little sleep he had gotten had done little to change that. Still, he believed that he could pull through.

The smile on Lyn's face had vanished. Eliwood knew why. He had mentioned his mother being worried about him, and Lyn had no parents left to worry about her. Eliwood silently cursed himself for allowing such a foolish slip of the tongue. Lyn closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she said, "Well, goodbye."

Eliwood put a hand on Lyn's shoulder. "Farewell, Lyndis. Know that even though I cannot aid you directly, as a friend, I pray for your success."

Lyn smiled again. "Thank you."

Eliwood turned and went to open the door. However, as he grasped the doorknob, he was reminded of a question that had been plaguing him, a question that Lyn might know the answer to. "Lyn," he said, turning back to face her, "this may seem like a strange question, but do you happen to know how Ninian is getting along? Oh, and Nils too, of course."

"Well, I certainly should know how they're getting along. After all, they're traveling with us!"

"They're traveling with you?" Eliwood asked, trying to hold back his surprise. "May I ask why?"

"Well, to be honest I was afraid that they might get kidnapped again. I thought they would be safer with us, at least in the short term. But their special powers have actually been of great use to us."

"Special powers? What special powers?" It appeared that Eliwood had been right when he had guessed that there was something different about Ninian.

"Didn't I tell you about their powers before?" Lyn asked, seemingly more to herself than to anyone else. She shrugged. "It must have slipped my mind. I guess I was just glad to see Ninian safe and sound. Anyway, Nils' tunes and Ninian's dances can revitalize us. It's not like healing, in that it doesn't actually heal any wounds, but it does something that somehow allows us to keep on fighting for longer. It's very hard to describe, but if you ever experience it, you'll know what I'm talking about."

"That sounds very useful."

"It is, but their other power is completely different, and more useful in some ways. It allows them to sense danger when it's coming to them. Do you remember that ballista that I told you about before, the one that Lord Lundgren deployed?" Eliwood nodded. "Well, Ninian and Nils both sensed danger coming and told me not to move. If I hadn't followed their advice, the first shot from that ballista might have hit me, and if it had hit me, I probably wouldn't have survived."

Eliwood could barely believe what he had just heard. He never thought he would meet anyone with powers like that. To think that, mere minutes ago, he had thought that Ninian and Nils were just common traveling performers. "Well, I really must be going now," Eliwood said.

Lyn seemed slightly surprised by Eliwood's response. "Do you want to see Ninian?" she asked.

Eliwood shook his head. "No, I wouldn't want to wake her. I'm just glad to know that she and Nils are safe. Take good care of them, Lyn." Without saying anything more, Eliwood left the room. As he walked down the stairs, he wondered whether Lyn and her group would accomplish their task. There could be no doubt that it would be a difficult task, considering the small size of their group. Eliwood was also worried about Ninian. She didn't seem like the hardy type, and he wondered whether she could deal with a battle. But he reminded himself that Lyn would protect her, possibly even putting herself at risk to do so. Eliwood had mixed feelings about that.

A short while later, Eliwood was outside the Khathelet Inn, atop Old Faithful. Whether by curiosity or chance, Eliwood looked up at the second floor of the building. Ninian was at one of the windows, gazing at him. Their eyes met. It was the first time Eliwood had seen Ninian's eyes, and he realized that she had the same crimson colour in her eyes as Nils did. It was just another thing that was different about her. Eliwood smiled and gave her a gentle wave, but she had already turned away. Deciding not to pursue the matter any further, Eliwood rode away from the village. He hoped that would not be the last time they met.

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Three weeks from that day, Eliwood found himself rushing out of Castle Pherae, and into the middle of a celebration. He had been awoken earlier that day by the cheering and dancing in the streets of the castle town, and had hastily gotten dressed and come outside. No one in the castle seemed to know what was going on.

The crowd of people seemed to be made up of nearly everyone in the castle town. Never had Eliwood seen so many jubilant people gathered together in such close proximity, although he'd heard that it had happened when the townspeople had heard of his birth. What could possibly have gotten the people so happy?

Eliwood was about to start questioning people when he heard the ringing that could only be the sound of the town crier's bell. The noise died down a little bit, but the man still had to yell at the top of his voice to be heard. "Hear ye, hear ye!" he shouted. "Lundgren defeated! Lady Lyndis named Marquess Caelin's heir! Lord Hausen on road to recovery from illness!" Eliwood could barely believe it. Lyn had won. Lord Hausen was going to survive, at least for the foreseeable future. Eliwood was filled with a joy beyond words. Soon, he was joining in the celebrations, as were many other people from the castle.

By noon, the celebrations were starting to die down. The crowds soon dispersed, and people returned to their homes. The streets looked almost deserted compared to the way they had been earlier. Eliwood decided it was time to return to the castle. To be honest, he had been starting to worry. Lyn certainly seemed to be safe, but what about the others? If any of them had died, then their deaths probably wouldn't have merited a mention by any official messenger. But it would certainly ruin the celebrations for Eliwood if anything had happened to Ninian, or any of the others for that matter.

As Eliwood neared the castle, he heard a voice behind him cry out, "Lord Eliwood!" Eliwood turned around to see a Caelin soldier standing before him in his resplendent green armour. He was panting heavily, and he held a piece of parchment in his right hand. "A message… from the Lady Lyndis," the soldier gasped.

Eliwood almost tore the note right out of the soldier's hand in his haste to read it. He hastily unrolled the piece of parchment. A note had been written on it in rather messy handwriting (clearly Lyn hadn't done much writing on the plains):

_Dear Eliwood,_

_You have probably heard of our victory by now. If not, you can ask the messenger to tell you the full story. I just wanted to tell you that, whether you choose to believe it or not, I couldn't have succeeded without your help._

_Yours truly,_

_Lyn._

_P.S. Everyone in the group, including Ninian and Nils, are fine. _

And all Eliwood could do was smile.


	3. First Farewell

A/N: Seven reviews: a new record! For me, that is. Thanks to all who reviewed. Anyway, this chapter is, for better for worse, considerably short than the previous two. As I've said before, I make my chapters as long as I feel they need to be. This is just one of those times when I don't feel that a chapter needed to be very long. That said, I hope you enjoy it. Now, on to the review responses:

**Lord of swords and waffles: **Thanks for your review! Yeah, I am quite proud of the way the Lycian Council scene turned out. Glad to see you enjoyed.

**Gijinka Renamon: **Yeah, my review was the really, really, really long one. What can I say, I like to make my reviews long as well as my chapters!

**Crimsy Mi-Chan: **Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like the long chapters (hopefully you won't find this one too short for your liking), and I'm completely in agreement with you on that topic. In regards to the pairing, while I'm not going to divulge the exact pairing for Eliwood, I will tell you that it's not a crack pairing, so there's a one-third chance of it being an Eliwood/Lyn.

**Snoopy6458: **Thanks for your review, and I'm glad to see I've improved! I didn't know that you weren't supposed to use parentheses in fiction writing, but I'll be sure to avoid making that mistake in the future. By the way, I reviewed your fanfic, "Battle Horn," so have a look when you get a chance. Anyone else reading this should read the story themselves, as it's brilliant (better than my work, at any rate). Just look for it in Snoopy's profile or in the Blazing Writers C2 group.

**Dracobolt: **Thanks for your review! Yeah, I find it much more entertaining not to reveal the pairings, and I'm glad to see that you, at least, do as well.

**Duderly Bob: **Thanks for your review! I'm glad to see that I have your support in the length my chapters. It's a shame if the length drives away some readers and reviewers, but I'm not certainly not arguing with my review count. In regards to the armour colour issue, let's just make the blind assumption that mounted knights don't follow the same rules for armour colouring as foot soldiers (in other words, I kind of screwed up there). By the way, I left a review for your fanfic, "Final Chapter: Light," so check it out when you have a chance.

**Macross Green: **Thanks for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the extra scenes, as they were probably the parts that I worked the longest on. By the way, I left a review for your fanfic, "Erk's Journey," so check it out when you have a chance.

**Chapter Three: First Farewell**

Eliwood fidgeted in his seat. The decorations of his father's meeting room, which would leave a common person awestruck at their majesty, barely attracted a glance from him. He had been in here many times before, and had long since grown desensitised to the decorations. His familiarity with the place allowed him to focus on the matter at hand. Eliwood knew the importance of concentration in this room, for he only ever came in here when his father had something very important to tell him.

His father, Lord Elbert, the Marquess of Pherae, was pacing around the centre of the room. He looked very much like Eliwood, only slightly older and with a red moustache. He wore a surprisingly plain brown tunic with black pants. A stranger to these lands may have mistaken him for a servant. After several agonizingly long minutes, Eliwood's father stood before the old window in the room, looking out into the coldness of the night. "Eliwood," he said, still not facing his son, "I have something very important to tell you." Eliwood was more than prepared to hear that: his father said it every time they were in here. However, Marquess Pherae seemed determined to keep up this charade, as if some unseen eye was watching them, ensuring that they were following protocol. "Tomorrow I will be leaving on some urgent business."

"What sort of urgent business?" Eliwood asked. The unseen eye scowled at such misconduct. Clearly, in the months since Eliwood's appearance before the Lycian Council, he had grown more rebellious.

Lord Elbert was silent for a moment. "For now, that is none of your concern. Rest assured though, that you shall find out when the time is right."

Eliwood truly wanted to know what his father's "urgent business" was, but he knew that asking further questions would accomplish nothing. His father was not the sort of person who could be forced into say or do anything. "Very well."

"I will be taking most of the best knights of Pherae with me as well."

Eliwood's jaw dropped, and he was about to stand up, before the glare of the hidden eye made him stay seated. "What? Why would you do that, Father? Pherae can't afford to be robbed of its best knights!"

"These lands are no longer as safe as they once were," Eliwood's father said calmly. "But rest assured, I am not taking all of Pherae's best knights with me. Marcus will stay here, as will the castle guard." Eliwood's father turned around, and Eliwood noticed that he appeared strangely grim. "Now, Eliwood, I have a request."

Eliwood was taken aback. "A request? What is it?"

Lord Elbert walked over to Eliwood. Putting his hands on the armrests of the chair, he leant over until his face was nearly touching Eliwood's. Eliwood slumped back slightly in the chair. "Under no circumstances are you to leave Pherae," Lord Elbert said in tone much firmer than any Eliwood had heard him use before. Lord Elbert then walked back, leaving Eliwood with some room to breathe. "If you wish to continue your bimonthly sparring matches with Hector, then he must come here."

Eliwood couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mother had occasionally been known to fret over Eliwood staying away from Pherae for long, but he had never known his father to do so. "I'm assuming I am unable to travel because it is too dangerous. But if it's so dangerous, then why would you allow Hector to come here?"

For a moment, a weak smile spread across Lord Elbert's face. "I have no authority to control Hector, and even those with the authority to control him are rarely able to do so." Eliwood chose to accept this explanation, although the whole affair still seemed very strange. "Now if you don't mind, Eliwood," Lord Elbert said, "I think it's time you went to bed."

Eliwood stood up and went to the door. His father followed. As Eliwood was leaving the room, he turned around to face his father. "There's still one thing I don't understand," Eliwood said, knowing that there were actually many things he didn't understand. But he knew that his father would only answer this query, and even that wasn't certain.

Lord Elbert sighed. "What is it?"

"My next sparring match with Hector is nearly a month and a half away. And yet you still bother to mention it. In fact, you seemed to imply multiple matches." Eliwood decided to get to the point. "Father, you're acting like you're not coming back."

Without a word, Lord Elbert had closed the door, leaving Eliwood alone in the corridor.

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The next morning, a large group was standing outside the gates to Castle Pherae. The entire town was there to farewell Marquess Pherae. Although he had tried to keep it secret, it hadn't taken long for word of Marquess Pherae's planned departure to reach the ears of the townspeople. The reason for Lord Elbert's departure remained a well-kept secret.

Eliwood and Marcus stood atop one of the towers of Castle Pherae, observing the scene. Those townspeople who couldn't get close to the gates of Castle Pherae were now lining up along the main street out of the town, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Knights of Pherae as they left for destinations unknown. It occurred to Eliwood that he hadn't seen the streets of Pherae this crowded since the celebrations celebrating Lyn's victory over Lord Lundgren six months ago. He often wondered how Lyn was getting along. He had seen her at a few of the formal gatherings since then, but they hadn't actually gotten a chance to talk. Eliwood doubted that they would have been able to have a real conversation anyway. Lyn's behaviour seemed so formal at those gatherings, or at least as formal as she seemed able to make it. It was clear to Eliwood that she didn't belong at those sorts of events.

Eliwood sighed as he drifted back to reality. Ever since their conversation the night before, Eliwood's father had been avoiding him. This would be the first time today that he had seen him at all. Eliwood knew that something was wrong. His father had spent time away from Castle Pherae plenty of times before, but he had never been so secretive about his business before, or had taken so many knights with him.

"Is something troubling you, Lord Eliwood?" Marcus asked.

As always, Marcus had read Eliwood like a book. He had never been very good at keeping secrets, but Marcus seemed to be able to see through him better than nearly any other person. Because of this, Eliwood often felt more at ease talking to Marcus than he did even with his own parents. Truly, he could tell Marcus about this. "This doesn't make any sense," Eliwood replied, still looking at the street below. "My father has never kept secrets like this from me. He would always tell me what he was doing if I asked him. Even when I said that he was acting as if he wouldn't come back, he wouldn't tell me anything."

"Whether you like it or not, Lord Eliwood, Lord Elbert is under no obligation to inform you of his affairs."

"That's not the point!" Eliwood shouted as he slammed his fist down on the stone barrier. He silently fought the urge to curse at the pain that caused. Clearly, that was a sign that he shouldn't lose his temper so easily. "And why is he taking so many knights with him? I saw them assembling earlier. Nearly all of the best knights in Pherae are going with him. It's almost as if he's going off to war, but there's no war out there for him to go to."

Marcus had ignored Eliwood's outbursts, and simply said, "Not all wars are fought in plain sight."

Eliwood was filled with curiosity at this remark. He turned to face Marcus. "Marcus, do you know something I don't?"

Marcus smiled. "I know many things that you don't, Lord Eliwood. In regards to the matter at hand, all I know is that Lord Elbert gave me a note describing what he was doing, but told me not to read it until I deemed it necessary. Even then, I am under orders not to inform you of the note's contents. And that, Lord Eliwood, is final. You will receive no information from me on the matter."

Eliwood knew that that discussion had just ended, arguably before it had even begun. "Perhaps you can answer me this question, then. Marcus, you are one of the finest knights in Pherae, if not the finest. Why then, is my father not taking you with him?"

Marcus frowned, and stared off into space. "I made a promise to Lord Elbert, to protect you until his return. Knights of Pherae always follow their orders."

Somehow, Eliwood doubted that that was the whole story. He had often noticed how Marcus had seemed strangely formal around Eliwood's father, even for him. But what could possibly be the reason for that? Eliwood knew better than to ask. Clearly, the issue was strictly between Eliwood's father and Marcus. Trying to change the subject, if only slightly, Eliwood said, "That reminds me of something my father once spoke of. Marcus, you went to war by my father's side when he was young, didn't you?"

Marcus' mood seemed to lift, probably from memories of past glories. "Indeed I did. I was just a page at the time, but under Lord Elbert's command, I swung my spear as best as I could."

Before the conversation could continue, there was a loud blast from a horn in the streets below. Eliwood and Marcus both looked down from the tower, even though they both knew what was going on: the Knights of Pherae were leaving. The knights rode out in pairs, moving only at a walking pace. Lord Elbert rode alone at the front, looking magnificent in his shining blue armour. As the knights moved down the street, the crowds parted to let them through. No one spoke.

Eliwood's attention was drawn by one blond-haired knight in grey armour leaving the formation. The man was Harken, a knight who was easily among Pherae's most elite soldiers, and who was often called the finest swordsman in the Knights of Pherae. He had ridden over to the side of the street, where a young woman with blue hair was standing. She was Isadora, a knight in the personal guard of Eliwood's mother, Lady Eleanora. Isadora was off-duty, so she wore a simple white dress. For a few moments, Harken and Isadora appeared to be talking. Then Harken leant over from his horse and kissed Isadora. He then rode back into line.

"I had no idea Harken and Isadora felt that way about each other," Eliwood said, more to himself than to anyone else. It was true that Eliwood didn't know Harken on any sort of deep level, but he had thought that such a courtship between two of Pherae's finest knights would have been made more public.

"They have been courting each other privately for about a year now," Marcus, who had been watching the whole time, replied. "They got engaged last night."

"Then I just hope Harken makes it back here alive. I would hate to think of what his death would do to Isadora." Eliwood was now painfully aware that there were other things at stake now, besides his father's life.

Marcus' expression was grim once more. "Indeed. I for one don't think it was a good idea on Harken's part, but love does strange things to people."

Eliwood and Marcus turned their attention back to the line of knights, who had now neared the gate to the town. As they rode out, they spread out into a loose line. They rode to the northwest, and Eliwood and Marcus stayed long after the crowd had dispersed, until Lord Elbert and his knights were nothing more than dots on the horizon, and finally until they vanished from sight altogether.

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Castle Pherae seemed strangely empty. The number of people in the castle hadn't actually decreased by that much, but those who had left seemed to be those who gave the castle life. The servants went about their duties, but because there were less people to serve, they had lots of spare time on their hands, a concept so foreign to them that they spent most of it locked away in their quarters. Outside, where once knights filled the grounds in their vigorous training regimes, there was now only a small group of lesser soldiers and new recruits for Marcus to train. For some reason beyond anyone's comprehension, Marcus seemed determined to have as many combined training hours for this small group as he would for a whole army. There was never a soldier around who wasn't exhausted.

But the difference was most noticeable in the throne room. Once, people came in throughout the day to see Marquess Pherae, whether it was to ask his advice, to seek a loan or simply to say hello. But ever since the marquess had left, the numbers of visitors had dwindled. Although Lady Eleanora tried her best to fill Lord Elbert's shoes, the people didn't come. It wasn't that anyone doubted Lady Eleanora's diplomatic skill; it was simply an unexplainable desire of the people to see their leader.

Thus, one afternoon around six months after Lord Elbert's departure, Eliwood found himself walking into the throne room without having to wait for the first time in living memory. The throne room was a large square room with a high ceiling. Banners decorated the walls, and a red carpet ran from the door to the throne at the opposite end of the room.

The throne was made of solid gold, with velvet padding on the seat and back. Lady Eleanora was sitting in the throne. She was a slender woman, with fair skin and purple hair. She wore an elegant white dress with some small religious ornaments, symbols of her past occupation of a cleric of St Elimine. She looked depressed, almost mournful.

"What is it, Eliwood?" Lady Eleanora said as Eliwood approached.

"I think you know, Mother," Eliwood replied. "The last of the messengers you sent to the marquesses returned today. Have any of the marquesses seen or heard from Father?"

There was silence for a while, before Lady Eleanora quietly said, "No, they have not."

Eliwood sighed. "Just as I thought."

"Eliwood, it's too early to jump to conclusions. For all we know, your father is fine."

"Mother, he was sending us messages every week before, and it's now been over a month since we last received one."

"Perhaps he simply hasn't gotten around to sending us a message," Eleanora whispered, but her eyes betrayed her true belief.

Eliwood moved closer to his mother, and looked her directly in the eye. "Mother, we both know that isn't true. Father never shirks his duties." There was a long pause. "Something has happened to him."

Eleanora closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. "And what if it has? What can we possibly do?"

Eliwood was silent. He knew all too well what he could, nay, must do. He had come here expecting to say it. He had gone through what he was going to say a hundred times in his mind. But now, when the time had finally come to say it, he was speechless. Eliwood closed his eyes for a moment. The time for subtleties was gone. "I'm going after him," he whispered.

Eliwood's mother slowly took her hands away from her face and stared blankly at Eliwood. "What?" she asked, with a slight quiver in her voice.

"I'm going after Father," Eliwood said, with more conviction this time. "I've been planning this for the last week. I was only delaying my departure on the off chance that one of the messengers had heard any information about Father's whereabouts. Now that I know that none of the marquesses have reported seeing Father, I shall be leaving tomorrow."

There were tears in Eleanora's eyes now. "But you can't!" she cried.

Eliwood hated to see his mother like this, but he carried on. "Father could be in grave danger. I may not be able to do much, but what I can do might be enough to save him."

"But why does it have to be you? Why not send some of our knights instead?"

"Mother, we barely have enough knights left to guard the castle as it is!" Eliwood shouted. In a calmer, quieter voice, he added, "I'm sorry, Mother, but it has to be this way. This is something I just have to do. Did father stay where it was safe instead of riding out to war all those years ago? And think of the good that came from that." Indeed, Eliwood had heard the story of how his parents had met and fallen during wartime many times before. Although Eliwood had absolutely no intention of falling in love any time soon, least of all while his father was still in danger, but he wasn't going to let his mother know that.

Eleanora was silent, and seemed lost in thought. "You're going to go, even if I tell you not to, aren't you?"

Eliwood nodded. "Mother, please, listen to me. I don't want to have to fight you over this, but I will if I have to."

Eleanora nodded, and looked down at the floor. "Then go."

"What?" Eliwood hadn't expected that. He had expected his mother to put up a bit more resistance, and come up with some possible alternatives, even though Eliwood knew he wasn't going to change his mind.

"You heard me, just go," Eleanora said, pointing to the door.

"Okay," Eliwood whispered, slowly walking backwards away from his mother. As he moved, he gradually turned around to face the door. He was half expecting his mother to cry out for him to stop, but there was no sound other than the echoing of his own footsteps. As he pulled the door open, he looked back at his mother. She was still looking at the floor, her face an indecipherable void.

Eliwood exited the throne room, closing the door behind him. A moment later, he put his ear to the door. All that could be heard was a gentle sobbing.


	4. Taking Leave

A/N: I'm sorry that it's taken so long for me to update. I have been busy recently with school, particularly with exams, and so I didn't have much time to write. The fact that I recently got Sonic Mega Collection didn't exactly help things. Anyway, I know it's not much of an excuse, but it's all I've got.

I would also like to take this time to introduce some changes to the way I respond to reviews. By the request of Samuraiter and Snoopy, I will no longer be responding to reviews within the story itself. Instead, I will be responding to reviews by e-mail. I will respond to reviews from those whose e-mail address is for some reason not displayed to the public (eg. users who have not signed in), but those responses will be taken down if and when (hopefully the latter) I finish this story. The same applies to any review responses I have already given in the story. This process has officially started now, so if you left a review, you should have recently gotten an e-mail from me in response. If any point really needs to be cleared up, I will make a point of it in the author's note before the chapter.

Conveniently, there is something about chapter 3 that should probably be cleared up. During the first section, I made reference to an "unseen eye." One reviewer thought that this referred to a Black Fang member who was spying on Eliwood and Elbert. It was actually meant to be a metaphor for court procedure, and how it has infiltrated even the private lives of nobles. I guess I messed that up a little bit.

That said, here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you can find the time to review.

**Chapter 4: Taking Leave**

A cold wind blew down from the Bern mountains onto the plains of Pherae. As it passed the majestic Castle Pherae, a guard on duty at the top of one of the towers shivered. The wind slowed for a moment and then hurried on. As it headed towards a nearby village, it passed a small group of people near the outskirts.

There were four people in the group: Eliwood, Eleanora, Marcus and Isadora. Eliwood was dressed in his blue traveling gear, with a blue cloak and with light armour underneath and on the shoulders. Eleanora wore a simple white dress, with a blue cloak similar to Eliwood's over it. Both of them were on foot. Marcus and Isadora stood taller than them, both atop their resplendent warhorses. Marcus' horse, Old Faithful, had gotten a bit more ragged in the past year, with a similar increase in grumpiness. On the other hand, Isadora's mare, known as Muriel, was in its prime, and it gleaming white coat was a sign of that. Marcus wore his full suit of bronze armour, which shone as a result of a polish the night before. Isadora wore a suit of armour painted with the white of Lady Eleanora's personal guard. The plates of the armour had had to be largely custom made to fit Isadora, as she was the only woman in the Knights of Pherae.

Eliwood shivered slightly as the cold wind passed into him. The hairs on his neck stood on end: the wind was eerie, almost as if it was devoid of something that would give it warmth. Trying to forget about it, Eliwood turned to face Marcus. In a low whisper, as if anything louder might wake the nearby village, Eliwood asked, "Have we got everything?"

"I have just finished checking, Lord Eliwood," Marcus replied, pointing to one of two rather bulky bags tied to either side of Old Faithful. He held up an open hand. "We have the tent, the blankets, some rations, some healing salve and enough gold to last us for a few months." When he had finished speaking, he had tapped down all of his fingers, turning his hand into a fist. "And of course, I have food for my horse and all of my weapons. I trust Lord Eliwood has his sword?"

Eliwood patted the rapier that hung at his belt. "I have it right here." There was a long silence. Eliwood looked at his mother. "Well, I suppose we're all set to go." Eleanora looked like she was about to cry. Eliwood could only imagine the grief she must be feeling. First, his father, her husband, had vanished, and now he too was leaving. Eleanora was going to be alone.

"Eliwood," Eleanora said, "I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you won't do anything reckless. True, I do fear for your father, but if anything were to happen to _you, _my heart could not bear that sorrow."

"I'll do my best, mother, but I'm afraid that that may be a promise I have to break in order to save father. But I promise you this: I will return, and I will return father to your side." Eleanora gave a slight nod of acceptance. Eliwood looked at Isadora. "Isadora, I place my mother under your protection. Please, take good care of her."

"I shall, Lord Eliwood," Isadora replied.

It was only then that Eliwood noticed that Isadora was no longer wearing her engagement ring. He found that very odd, as he had seen her with it on mere days ago. Why had she given up hope now? "Isadora," Eliwood said, "we'll find Harken."

Isadora closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "No, you won't. If your father is alive, then he is most likely a prisoner. Harken would have died rather than simply let Lord Elbert be taken prisoner. I may wish it wasn't so, but Harken is gone." Tears slid down Isadora's face. Eliwood wanted to do something, to say something to comfort her, but he was paralysed by his own fear and ignorance. What did he know of these matters, of love, of life and of death?

He did the only thing he could think of. "Then I suppose that's it," he said. "Farewell, Isadora, until we meet again. Farewell, mother." He knew that was insensitive, but it was the best he could do at the time. Isadora gave a silent nod.

Instead of speaking, Eleanora walked up to Eliwood and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest. It was a hug that only a mother could give. Eliwood hesitated for a moment, before returning the embrace. He didn't try to rush it. There was no telling when they would see each other again, or if they would see each other again at all. All that could be heard was the wind.

Then, as suddenly as the embrace began, it stopped. Eleanora backed away from Eliwood, a look of pure sorrow upon her face. She slowly turned away and started walking back towards the castle. Isadora turned and followed. Eliwood and Marcus watched them until they passed some tress and disappeared from sight.

Eliwood sighed. That had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do. He had gone away from home before, even for extended periods when he was studying in Ostia, but he had always known that he would return home. This time, as much as he had been trying to convince his mother otherwise, he did not. There was not telling what this journey he was about to embark upon would present.

Eliwood turned to face Marcus. "Well, Marcus," he said, "It looks like it's just you and me now."

Marcus shook his head. "Not true, Lord Eliwood. My man Lowen is travelling with us. He's in the village, seeing if there are any mercenaries staying at the inn."

"Lowen…" Eliwood whispered, closing his eyes as he tried to picture Lowen in his head. "Tall man in gold armour, scruffy blue hair, stays around the kitchens a lot?"

Marcus nodded. "That's right. He has quite a lot of potential, and I would hate to see it wasted by me not being there to train him." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "But don't tell him I said that."

Eliwood laughed to himself. Positive reinforcement had never been part of Marcus' training program. "Marcus, my lips are sealed, but try not to be too hard on him."

"Lord Eliwood, why don't you leave the matter of training up Pherae's knights to me? I have trained many knights in my time, using the same methods I use today, and not a single one who has made it as far as Lowen has failed me." Marcus' expression became grimmer. "Frankly, I would have preferred to set out with a larger company, but this was your order, my lord."

Eliwood frowned. "I'd prefer not to rob my mother of a single more guard than is necessary. When my father left, he took all of Pherae's best knights bar you with him. The ones who are left behind have to both guard the castle and patrol the surrounding villages."

"Yes, and to be honest, it's starting to show. I've heard reports of increased bandit activity in the last few months." Eliwood and Marcus looked towards the village, which was starting to become clearer as the first rays of sunlight passed over the mountains. Around the small cluster of buildings that made up the village itself, there was a wall of wooden stakes. A gate on the side facing Eliwood and Marcus was one of only two entrances. The other entrance was a secret gate built into one of the side walls. Eliwood had many fond memories of sneaking out of the village through that gate to go exploring the nearby forest. Those were good times, but they were now gone forever. There was silence for a few minutes, before Marcus spoke up. "What is taking Lowen so long?"

As if on cue, the gate opened, and a lone rider charged out of the village. He rode a brown horse, and even from the great distance between them, Eliwood could see the gold armour that identified the man as Lowen. "Lowen's certainly in a hurry," Eliwood said. "I wonder why?"

Marcus frowned. "We will have to wait and see."

As Lowen drew closer, it became clear that there was another person behind Lowen on the horse, but Eliwood couldn't make out any details. It wasn't long before Lowen reached Eliwood and Marcus. He was panting heavily. "Lord Eliwood! Sir Marcus!" he cried out in a rather boyish voice. "It's b… b…" Lowen's voice descended into a series of ragged gasps.

Marcus held up a hand. "Lowen, calm down," he said. "Take some deep breaths." Lowen complied, and his breaths became slower and deeper. "It is important for a knight to always be calm. Fear and anxiety lead to lapses in concentration, and lapses in concentration can lead to death." Lowen hung his head, presumably trying to avoid eye contact with Marcus, although Eliwood found it difficult to tell through Lowen's abnormally scruffy hair. "Now, tell us calmly what has happened."

Lowen took one last deep breath before speaking. "Bandits are attacking the village."

"What?" Eliwood gasped in shock. "How did they get in? Aren't the gates supposed to be closed at night?"

Suddenly remembering his manners, Lowen bowed to Eliwood as best he could, given that he was on horseback. "They knocked down part of the north wall, Lord Eliwood."

Eliwood frowned. "So much for the subtle approach. They were probably breaking in even as we were watching. We must stop them at all costs. Tell us, Lowen, what information can you give us about our enemy?"

"Well, Lord Eliwood, I was able to rescue a girl from the village. She should be able to tell us something."

As he said this, a girl jumped down from the horse. She appeared to be in her mid teens. Her dark green hair hung down in pigtails, and she wore a light green bandana over the top of her head. The rest of her clothing consisted of boots, gloves, a tunic and a short skirt, all in various shades of brown. She carried a bow over her shoulder, and she had a quiver strapped to a belt at her hips. She wore a blue sash around her waist. As Eliwood was trying to remember what that blue sash meant, the girl spoke up. "Lord Eliwood," she said, "I'm Rebecca. I'm the daughter of the village magistrate." That explained what the blue sash was for. "Please, Lord Eliwood, you have to help us! The bandits are looting the village even as we speak!"

"Rebecca, we'll do everything we can," Eliwood replied. "But first, we need to know how many bandits there are, and where we can find them."

"I'd say there are at least thirty of them, my lord. But they've only attacked the northern part of the village; something seems to have drawn their attention in the town square."

"Then we'd best head there now. Whatever's gotten their attention won't do so for long."

"My lord," Marcus interjected, "If we're going to save the village, then we need a plan. Attacking the bandits head-on would cause more harm than it would avert."

Eliwood knew Marcus was right. They were badly outnumbered, and neither he nor Lowen had had much battlefield experience. Eliwood could hold his own in a duel, but when it came to a large-scale battle, he wasn't so sure. Then an idea popped into his head. "Lowen, Rebecca," he said, "were either of you two seen when you were escaping the village?" Lowen and Rebecca both shook their heads. "Good. Then here's what I want you to do, Lowen. You are to head to the eastern wall surrounding the village. About halfway along that wall, you should find a large mass of ivy covering the wall. Behind that ivy is a secret door, which you will use to get into the village. Meanwhile, Marcus and I will create a diversion, drawing the bandits into the southern half of the village. You will then hunt down the bandit's leader and kill him. Lowen, you will cut off his head and impale it on your lance." Both Rebecca and Lowen turned slightly pale upon hearing this. "You will then find us, and show the head to the other bandits. Do whatever it takes to get their attention. My guess is that they will surrender when they see that their leader has been defeated. Bandits are cowards by nature."

Lowen, meanwhile, seemed to have slumped slightly. "But Lord Eliwood," he said, "what if I can't defeat the bandit leader?"

"Lowen," Marcus said, "every bandit that I have ever encountered as a Knight of Pherae has been slain as much by the fear of us as by my own skill. The same will go for you. If you ever want to become a great knight like Harken or Isadora, you must overcome your own fears. Now go. That's an order."

As Lowen slowly turned his horse towards the village, Rebecca turned towards Eliwood and said, "He doesn't have to go alone. I'll go with him." Before Eliwood could voice his objections, Rebecca added, "I have hunted animals for most of my life, so I have some skill with a bow. Please let me go with him, Lord Eliwood. I want to help."

Eliwood closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't like putting his subjects in unnecessary danger, but Rebecca had volunteered for this. Was it really his right to prevent her from trying to help when that was what she wanted to do? Even when that wasn't borne in mind, the fact of the matter was, they could use all the help they could get. "Very well," Eliwood said as he opened his eyes. "You will go with Lowen and help him out. Just be careful and stay with him at all times."

"I will, my lord," Rebecca said. She climbed onto Lowen's horse, almost slipping as she did so, but fortunately Lowen caught her. Soon, Rebecca was seated atop Lowen's horse, behind the young page, holding onto him tightly.

Eliwood looked at the two and thought to himself that somehow, this looked right. "Take good care of her, Lowen."

Lowen turned his head to face Eliwood. "I will," he said. Lowen gave his horse a light kick under the saddle, and he and Rebecca rode away, the horse accelerating unusually slowly for a hose of Pherae.

Eliwood turned to face Marcus. "Well Marcus, I suppose we had better be setting out too." He climbed onto Old Faithful, seating himself behind Marcus. The horse gave a loud grunt as this happened. Eliwood had a bad feeling about how this ride was going to go. He held on tightly to Marcus as Old Faithful galloped away.

After a short but very bumpy ride, Eliwood and Marcus reached the front gate of the village, which was still open. The sound of fighting could be heard within the walls of the village. Eliwood was starting to feel slightly apprehensive as he jumped down from Old Faithful.

As they walked through the streets of the village, which were now empty as all the people were hiding in their homes, Eliwood wondered how Lowen and Rebecca were doing. Eliwood was starting to question whether his decision to send them after the bandit leader was a wise one.

"Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, "do you have any plan for creating our little diversion?"

"Not as such," Eliwood replied. "But I think that once the bandits see me, they will recognise me, and will most likely try to capture me in an attempt to extort money out of Pherae. That is why I'd like you to remain hidden at first, to ensure that the bandits take the bait and don't simply run away."

"My lord, are you sure such a plan will be safe? Your safety should be paramount." Marcus hesitated for a moment, a rarity for him. "Perhaps it is not my place, but I think you should stay out of combat, Lord Eliwood. Let me deal with the enemy! You can stay with me, and thus travel in safety."

Eliwood shook his head, and looked up to where Marcus was seated. "No, Marcus, this is something I must do. This is my quest, and if I cannot deal with a simple group of bandits, what chance do I stand against whatever fell force is now holding my father."

It seemed like Marcus was about to say something, but he didn't, for at that moment, both he and Eliwood stopped in their tracks. They had just entered the town square. Neither of them could believe the scene before their eyes. A dozen dead bandits were scattered around the area. Some had had their limbs hacked off, while others had been decapitated. The remaining twenty-odd bandits were swarming the large platform at the centre that had formerly been the gallows. But no sooner had a bandit gotten up to the top, then they promptly tumbled back to the bottom. The other side in this battle was what appeared to be two men atop the platform, although Eliwood couldn't make them out very well amidst the swirling melee.

Eliwood nodded at Marcus, and the knight slowly maneuvered his horse around a nearby building, out of sight of the bandits. Eliwood took a deep breath as he walked into the town square. This was it. He stopped, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "In the name of Pherae, I bid you men lay down your arms!"

Instantly, every participant in the battle turned towards Eliwood, who did a double-take upon seeing that one of the men fighting the bandits was Dorcas, one of Lyn's companions from a year ago. Judging by his expression, which admittedly was as hard to read as always, Dorcas returned the feeling of surprise. The other man fighting the bandits was a large, almost brutish brown-haired man whom Eliwood didn't recognize. The man wore an outfit similar to Dorcas', but with a blue singlet, and a grey, studded headband. His brown hair was scruffy at best, but that may have had something to do with the situation he was in. His expression was one of sheer battle-driven rage.

The bandit nearest to Eliwood laughed. "I can handle this one, lads," he growled. "The rest of you, back to the fighting! The boss will kill us of we don't get this job done soon!"

Before anything else could be said or done, Dorcas and the man with him had each decapitated a bandit with one stroke of their large axes. That was the signal for the battle to continue. Meanwhile, the makeshift leader tossed his weapon aside as he approached Eliwood. "I don't need a weapon to beat you, you pansy noble!" he said, cracking his knuckles. "Besides, you're much more use to us alive."

With those words, the bandit charged at Eliwood, bringing one fist back behind him. When the bandit was mere metres away, Eliwood quickly pulled his rapier from its sheath and, in the same motion, lunged at the bandit. The sword went straight through the bandit's heart, bringing an immediate halt to the motion of both combatants. As Eliwood pulled removed his rapier, which was now covered in blood, from the bandit's chest, the man slumped to the ground, dead.

Wasting no time, Eliwood rushed towards the centre of the battle. One bandit managed to see Eliwood just in time to attack. The blow was very clumsy though, and Eliwood easily ducked to dodge it. One thrust with his rapier put an end to that bandit. Another bandit promptly charged. This one had more time to aim, so Eliwood didn't have time to dodge. Instead, he parried the blow along the handle of the axe, where there was little force. With a light flick of his weapon, Eliwood was able to slit the bandit's wrist. The bandit dropped his weapon instantly, clutching his wrist while howling in pain. Eliwood kicked the bandit with all of his might to put him out of the fight.

This had left the steps up to the top of the platform open. Eliwood ran up the steps two at a time, parrying a stray attack as he went. By the time he'd reached the top, Dorcas and the other axe-fighter had finished off most of their opponents. Just as he was about to fight another bandit, Eliwood heard the sound of hooves. Daring to look away for a moment, for everyone else there had as well, he saw Marcus charging in atop Old Faithful, sword held high, shouting a battle cry as he went.

Marcus' right hand left the reigns for a moment, as he pulled a small axe free from his belt. Swinging his arm with what appeared to be all of his might, he threw the axe, sending it spinning as he did so. Eliwood's eyes bulged as he realized that the axe appeared to be headed towards him. But there was no time. He screwed his eyes tight as he prepared for the pain…and felt nothing. Eliwood opened his eyes and saw that the axe was now embedded in the skull of the bandit Eliwood had been preparing to fight mere moments ago.

This was all that was needed to break the bandits' spirit. Screaming, they ran away from the wrath of Marcus as fast as their legs could carry them. Their path took them towards one of the other exits from the town square: right towards Lowen, who had just appeared on the scene along with Rebecca. Shaking slightly, the young page held his lance in his right hand. Impaled on the point of the lance was a bearded head that Eliwood assumed belonged to the bandit leader. He noted, with interest, that an arrow was stuck right between the head's eyes.

The bandits stopped in their tracks. Behind them was a furious veteran knight who had just dispatched one of their own with ease, and in front of them was a man who, although not nearly as furious, had just killed their leader. One by one, the bandits dropped their weapons and held their hands in the air. The battle was over.

Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief. "Rebecca," he said, "Find your father and bring him here. Tell him we have something he'll be most pleased to see."

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A few minutes later, Rebecca returned with a middle-aged man whom Eliwood recognised as the village magistrate. The magistrate has brown hair and a large, bushy moustache. He wore the clothing of a worker, for the village was not wealthy, but he did wear the traditional blue sash of a Pheraen magistrate. Several other men followed behind, each one carrying rope to tie up the bandits. Marcus was riding amongst the bandits to discourage any last-minute escape attempts.

Upon seeing Eliwood, the magistrate ran towards him. Although he did seem glad to see Eliwood, his overall expression was rather grim. Eliwood could understand why. After all, much of the village had been damaged, and even though no villagers had been seriously harmed, the damage would take some time to repair. The magistrate didn't let such thoughts get in the way of formality, and upon reaching Eliwood, the magistrate promptly bowed.

"You must be Lord Eliwood," he said as he rose again. "Thank you for saving our village."

Eliwood raised his hands and shook his head. "No thanks are needed. It is a lord's duty to protect his subjects."

Any joy that was in the magistrate's face promptly evaporated. "If only that were true, my lord. The people of Laus know no such protection. Their Marquess is caught up in his preparations for war, and he doesn't seem to care about the troubles of the common folk."

"Preparing for war?" Eliwood asked incredulously. "Are you sure?" Eliwood knew that Lord Darin desired power, but surely he wouldn't go to war over it. After all, there was no way he could possibly defeat the armies of the other Lycian territories.

The magistrate nodded glumly. "Aye, my lord, it is true. My brother lived in Laus until just over a week ago. His house was torched by bandits, and he was forced to come here. He had seen these war preparations with his own two eyes."

Marcus, who had overheard the conversation, rode over to Eliwood. "Could you excuse us for a moment, magistrate?" he asked. The magistrate nodded and walked over to where the bandits were now being tied up. "Lord Eliwood," Marcus whispered. "If Marquess Laus is preparing for war, then he probably means to attack another Lycian territory. Perhaps all of this is related to Lord Elbert's disappearance."

Eliwood stroked his chin, deep in thought. "My father and Marquess Laus…" he whispered, more to himself than to Marcus. "It's a rather weak connection at best, but it's all we have to go on. I suggest we set out for Laus as soon as we're done here."

"Agreed. I will go inform Lowen of our plans. The boy seems awfully jittery, even for him. For some reason, he won't say anything about what happened with that bandit leader." Marcus shrugged his shoulders, and rode slowly towards a nearby wall, which Lowen was leaning on, rubbing his temple with one hand. Eliwood guessed that having to cut off the bandit leader's head might have had something to do with Lowen's behaviour, but he chose not to voice his opinion.

"Oh by the way, Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, turning back to face Eliwood, "I must congratulate you on your fine performance in battle today, Lord Eliwood. I'm impressed by the strength you've displayed today. You have truly grown, and for that, I am joyful."

Eliwood laughed quietly to himself. Marcus rarely gave compliments to anyone, but when he did, he had a tendency to exaggerate. "Ah, Marcus, your sentiments are always larger than life."

Marcus sighed, and he suddenly looked much older than normal. "But it does make me lonely, you know. When you were born, Lord Eliwood, why, I had just received the honour of knighthood." Marcus' face took on a wistful look as he stared off into space. "When you were little, oh how you would follow me everywhere!"

Eliwood raised his hands in protest, smiling. "Stop it; you embarrass me, good friend." Indeed, most of his memories of his early childhood were of times spent with Marcus. Part of him wondered whether that was truly representative of that time in his life.

Smiling, Marcus turned once more, and Old Faithful trotted towards Lowen. Eliwood, in the meantime, glanced around idly. It was then that he spotted Dorcas and his companion leaning against the far wall. He realised that he had not even shown Dorcas the courtesy of a greeting. Seeking to redeem himself, Eliwood walked over to them.

"Well, Dorcas," Eliwood said, "long time no see. What brings you to Pherae?"

"Well, my wife Natalie and I live in Pherae now," Dorcas replied. "I liked the look of Lycia when I was with Lyn, so we decided to move."

"Is Natalie here?" Eliwood asked, not sure what to hope. If she was here, then she might have been hurt, but if she wasn't here, then there was no telling what may have been happening to her.

"No, we live in a village about a day's travel from here, on the other side of Castle Pherae. It's a larger village than this, so it's fairly well-protected. I only came out here because I heard that they were having trouble with bandits."

"So you're a mercenary now?" Eliwood asked, as an idea popped into his mind.

Dorcas nodded. "That's right. I work with Bartre here," he said, gesturing in the direction of his companion.

"That's right! I'm Bartre the _Brave!_" Bartre boasted, as he pounded his singlet with his fist.

Eliwood glanced briefly at Dorcas who simply gave a nod that indicated to Eliwood that Bartre was always like this. "Well, Bartre," Eliwood said, resisting the urge to laugh, "it is a great pleasure to meet you." Eliwood decided that he might as well see if his idea had any merit. "Say, I'm sure that you two have heard of my father's recent disappearance." Dorcas and Bartre both nodded, although Bartre seemed slightly more hesitant. "Well, I'm going in search of him, and I'll need some additional soldiers, since Pherae is rather short-staffed at the moment. Would you two be interested in doing some mercenary work for me? I should you warn you, it will be a long journey, so you'll probably have to clear it up with your wife first, Dorcas."

"That's fine," Dorcas replied. "I'll just send a letter to Natalie explaining it. This isn't the first time I've gone on a long assignment, after all."

"Okay, then, I'll let you take care of that. What about you, Bartre?"

Bartre appeared to be deep in thought, an activity that appeared to be almost painful to him. The muscles of his face were tense with concentration. "You'll be fighting lots of tough enemies on this journey, right?" he asked.

"That's right," Eliwood replied, although he didn't really like to think about that. Any foe that could have caused any harm to his father and his knights must have been a very powerful foe indeed.

Bartre grinned. "Then, Lord Eliwood, you've got yourself a deal!" Bartre seized Eliwood's hand and shook it firmly, possibly a bit too firmly for Eliwood's tastes.

"Excellent," Eliwood said, ignoring the pain in his hand. "Well, we'd better get the tedious paperwork done first, so if you follow me we'll get that out of the way." As Eliwood led the pair away, he clutched his aching hand. He just hoped that Bartre could write.

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By the time the now-larger group left the village, the sun had risen high into the sky. Summer was nearing its end, so it was no longer as hot as it had been in previous weeks, but it was still a bit too hot for Eliwood's tastes. He couldn't believe that he had been shivering this morning. He hated to think about how hot Marcus and Lowen must have been in their suits of armour. Although Marcus had learnt a long time ago to suppress those feelings of discomfort, it was clear that Lowen wasn't a fan of hot weather. The two knights rode slightly ahead of Eliwood, Dorcas and Bartre. This was relatively flat terrain, so even Marcus had to admit that there was no real likelihood of an ambush. Eliwood relished this peace, for he knew it would not last.

The village was still in sight when Eliwood became aware of someone shouting at them. Eliwood turned around to see Rebecca running towards them. Eliwood raised his hand. And the group stopped. He wondered what Rebecca wanted.

As soon as Rebecca reached the group, she headed straight for Eliwood. "Lord Eliwood," she said, panting slightly. "I would like to thank you for saving our village."

"There is no need for thanks, Rebecca," Eliwood replied. "Your father has already taken care of that."

"That is not the sort of thanks I am referring to." Rebecca knelt down. "My lord, I offer you my service, such as it is. Please, let me fight for you."

Eliwood was torn. He sincerely doubted that Rebecca had any real idea what she was getting into. But just like earlier today, she was volunteering for this, and showed such a desire to do this that it almost reached the point of begging. Eliwood didn't know whether he had any real right to refuse such a request. "What does your father think about this?"

"My lord, he is willing to accept it. That is, if you are." She looked at Eliwood with an expression of longing that Eliwood couldn't resist.

"Very well, Rebecca, welcome aboard." Rebecca smiled at him as she rose. "However, I would like to remind you that neither oath nor contract holds you to this journey. You are free to leave any time you wish."

Rebecca bowed. "Thank you, my lord."

"Oh, and you don't need to do the bowing thing either. I imagine it would start to lose all meaning after you've done it a hundred times." Eliwood and Rebecca both laughed.

Eliwood looked around at his companions. He found it hard to believe that there had only been three people in the group at the start of this day, and now there were twice that number. He didn't know for sure what trials they would all go through together, what allies they would gain, what foes they would face, and ultimately, whether they would succeed in finding his father. However, he did know one thing: his journey was only beginning.


	5. Birds of a Feather

A/N: Yes, I am alive, believe it or not. I know, it's been far too long since I last updated. I could tell you some incredible tale involving alien abductions to explain the lateness of this chapter, but I won't, as that would be lying. Suffice to say, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and that you can find the time to review.

There were a few nasty typos in Chapter 4, but I have uploaded a fixed version of it with this chapter.

Since this point has come up a few times in reviews now, I would just like to make a point clear: Mark/the tactician/whatever you want to call him will not feature in this story. Basically, I feel that I would either turn him into a Gary Stu or an utterly useless character. If you want to see good stuff with Mark, then I would recommend reading Samuraiter's story One Year. There's some excellent stuff with Mark in there.

In this chapter, I have included one quote from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (the film), and one slightly altered quote from Hamlet. If you feel up to it, see if you can find them.

Finally, would anyone be interested in becoming a beta reader for me? All you would have to do would be to read the chapter, find any mistakes and suggest some changes before I post it up. I would give you about a week from when I first send you the chapter to do this. You would also be acknowledged in an acknowledgements section at the end of the story for your help. If anyone's interested, please e-mail me at 5: Birds of a Feather

Eliwood frowned as he shoved the last of his things into the bag. It was late morning now, two days after the group had first set out. Most of those two days had been spent on the march, with only a short break in the middle of the day for lunch and an eight-hour break in the night, during which they had dinner, slept, and had breakfast in the morning.

This morning, however, they had woken up later than usual, as Lowen had fallen asleep during his watch, and thus had not woken everyone else up. Needless to say, Marcus' shouting upon finding the young page asleep at his post woke the rest of the group up very promptly. Now, they were hurriedly packing away their tents and supplies in an attempt to make up for lost time. Eliwood had no knowledge of camping, so he let Marcus pack away the tent they shared, while he went to work on packing away the other supplies.

Now, he was finished, and he took a moment to look around to see how the others were doing. Dorcas and Bartre appeared to have finished a long time ago, being quite used to travel and camping as a result of their work. Rebecca, meanwhile, seemed to be making slow but steady progress on the tent she and Lowen shared. But where, then, was Lowen?

Eliwood jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Regaining his nerves, he turned around to see Lowen standing there, looking quite flushed, more so than usual. "Lord Eliwood, I'm so sorry!" he said, kneeling down as if begging for mercy.

"Lowen, what is it?" Eliwood asked. He assumed Lowen was apologising for falling asleep at his post, but he thought it best to check.

"My lord, this morning, did you have… breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Eliwood cried, trying not to laugh. He had a bad feeling Lowen was being serious. "Well, now that you mention it, I overslept, so I didn't really see the point in holding the group up by having breakfast."

Lowen pointed at Eliwood. "Ah ha! I knew it!" He held his head in his other hand. "Oh, if Sir Marcus finds out, I'm finished! Especially after my earlier… failings."

Eliwood held his hands up in an attempt to calm Lowen down. "Lowen, please! Missing one meal is not such a big issue."

Lowen shook his head. "Oh, but it is! "If the stomach is empty, empty too, lies the heart. You know the proverb!"

Now it was Eliwood's turn to shake his head. "Actually, that's the first time I've ever heard that one."

Lowen rose to his feet. "Then you must remember it henceforth!" He then added, speaking more slowly, "If the stomach is empty, empty too, lies the heart!"

Eliwood nodded slowly. "Right, I'll remember that."

"Now, I must go get you some breakfast, before Sir Marcus finds out!" With those words, Lowen rushed off towards his tent, leaving a dumbstruck Eliwood standing in his wake. Clearly, he had a lot to learn about Lowen, but he definitely didn't want to know where Lowen learnt his proverbs from.

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It was well into the afternoon when the group reached the border of Santaruz. Soon after the group had set out from Pherae, Eliwood had decided that it would be best to stop in Santaruz on their way to Laus. Surely, Lord Hausen would be able to provide them with men, supplies or at least a safe bed for the night. Eliwood really wasn't fond of camping out; it was simply too big a change from the comfortable dwellings to which he was accustomed. He would be glad to be able to sleep in a bed once more, even if it was only for one night.

The journey had been quite slow, as only Marcus and Lowen had horses. Eliwood and the others had to walk. Marcus had offered to let Eliwood ride with him, but Eliwood had refused. Somehow, the idea of riding on Old Faithful seemed far more exhausting than walking. It was times like this that Eliwood wished that his old horse Zephyr was still alive. Still, as Eliwood's father had said when he'd found out about Zephyr's death, there was no point in crying over a dead horse.

Still, right now, Eliwood was able to take a quick, and very rare, break. Upon Marcus' advice, the group had stopped in a valley that was formed by the edges of two tall, rocky outcrops. It was one of the few areas near Santaruz that wasn't flat terrain. Marcus had just sent Lowen off to a nearby village to obtain some more supplies – not too much, but enough to last until they reached Castle Santaruz.

Right now, Dorcas and Bartre sat on the grass near one wall of rock, talking about subjects that Eliwood had no desire to know about, while Rebecca sat against another, adjusting her bowstring. She seemed to be having some difficulty, but Eliwood was sure she knew what she was doing. That said, he had yet to see her in combat, and part of him wondered whether she would be up to the task of battle. Marcus had just loaded the supplies off of Old Faithful, and was currently placing a small box of food under its already awaiting muzzle. The stallion seemed much more pleasant than any time that Eliwood had tried to feed it.

"I think I'll go for a walk," Eliwood said as he approached Marcus.

Marcus looked towards him. "I'll go with you, my lord," he replied as he stood up. "None of us should wander alone, least of all you."

Eliwood was tempted to remind Marcus that he had just recently sent Lowen off alone, but he thought it better not to do so. It would undoubtedly cause Marcus to start one of his speeches about testing the abilities of all knights. In all honesty, Eliwood didn't see how going to obtain supplies could test anyone's abilities, but Marcus was the expert.

"Marcus, you worry too much," Eliwood said. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." With those words, Eliwood walked off, and Marcus followed behind. They ambled away from the rest of the group making several turns in the makeshift canyon. Eliwood couldn't help but be amazed at how long it was. After a few minutes, they reached a small clearing.

Eliwood stopped and leant back against one of the rock faces. He sighed. Marcus appeared to have noticed, for in an instant he said, "Lord Eliwood, something appears to be troubling you. Would you care to share it?"

Eliwood shook his head. "It's nothing," he replied.

Marcus smiled. "Lord Eliwood, I know you're lying. Even the most foolish person chooses something to worry about, and you are far wiser than any fool. That said, if you do not wish to talk about your worries, than that is your right. However, I'd like to remind you that most people would consider it a good idea to talk about your troubles. It tends to lessen them, if only slightly."

Eliwood raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And since when have you been one to confide in others over _your_ troubles, Marcus?"

"My lord, even I have people whom I trust enough to confide in when I'm feeling at my lowest. It's just that, after years of experience, one learns not to be so troubled by life. That said, I doubt you have quite enough years behind you to be at that stage yet, Lord Eliwood. Come, surely you trust me enough to tell me what is bothering you."

"As usual Marcus, you make an excellent point. Very well, I'll tell you." Eliwood sighed again and stared off into empty space. "I'm just wondering whether I'm going about this quest in the right way. I mean, what if I make a mistake and cost us all our lives? What if I could prevent all that now, and I don't?"

For nearly a minute, Marcus frowned in silence, but then he spoke up. "Lord Eliwood, it would appear to me that this problem is caused by looking to events on too grand a scale. The fact of the matter is that there are many events that you can't change right now. The future is always in motion, and thus you can never be sure what will happen in the future. This isn't to say that you shouldn't think about the future at all, but rather that you should take everything in small steps. In this case, getting to Santaruz is the first step. All other things can be considered once we get there."

Although Marcus had slightly swayed Eliwood's opinion, the young noble remained unconvinced. "But what if going to Santaruz isn't the best option?"

Marcus smiled once again, more broadly this time. "Frankly, my lord, that is foolishness, and nothing more. There is absolutely nothing to fear from going to Sanataruz. Marquess Santaruz has always been a good friend of Lord Elbert, and of you. He would never do anything to harm you, so relax. We are not in any danger yet."

Eliwood smiled. He had been very foolish. "You're right, Marcus. The danger hasn't started yet. I'm glad you're here to point out the error of my ways."

Marcus shook his head. "Think nothing of it, my lord. While mentoring isn't strictly on the list of duties that a Knight of Pherae must perform, one does learn to expand one's uses, if only slightly. Take Lowen for instance-"

Marcus was interrupted by loud almost thunderous footsteps from further down the valley. Marcus and Eliwood turned to find three men walking towards them. Two of them appeared to be quite muscular, but Eliwood's attention was turned towards the man in the centre of the small group. He was truly a giant, standing at well over seven feet tall, and with enough bulk so that Eliwood suspected that he easily weighed as much as three average men. His pudgy face had a sinister grin on it. He had a large battle axe strapped to his belt.

The group stopped several metres in front of Eliwood and Marcus. "Hello, noble sirs," the gigantic man said in an incredibly fake village accent, "alms for a poor villager?" He held out his hand expectantly.

"Poor villager?" Marcus said with a hint of disgust in his face. "You look nothing like an honest man. Now clear the road." Marcus was scowling now.

The gigantic man laughed menacingly. "I think you're the one who'd better clear the road," he said, all traces of the fake village accent gone. His voice was now deep and brutish. "Someone wants the boy dead." The gigantic man pointed at Eliwood and shrugged. "A shame if you ask me, but he'll die here today. But he's the only one we've been ordered to kill, so why don't you do what's good for you and stay out of the way, old man?"

Eliwood could tell that Marcus was fuming inside now, but the knight kept his exterior appearance as calm as always. Marcus stepped in between Eliwood and the three men. "If you intend to harm Lord Eliwood," Marcus said, "you'll have to go through me."

The gigantic man stopped laughing, but he still had a grin on his face. "Oh no, I won't," he said with a shake of his head. He then shouted in a thunderous voice, "Come on out, boys! Earn your keep!"

At that moment, a series of loud roars erupted throughout the valley. As Eliwood looked up, he saw countless bandits standing at the top of the rocky outcrop, ready to strike. Eliwood heard someone snap their fingers, and the bandits leapt, near-simultaneously, into the valley.

Eliwood leapt back and drew his rapier. As one bandit landed roughly near him, Eliwood thrust the rapier into the man's chest. Eliwood didn't even bother to check whether the bandit was dead, but simply pulled his rapier out and focused on the pair of bandits charging at him, one on either side, axes held high. Eliwood waited until the last possible moment to jump to one side. The bandits collided with a sickening crunch, and were clearly out cold, at least.

Eliwood took a moment to look at the scene around him. Marcus was valiantly hacking bandits down left, right and centre, but there always seemed to be more to replace them. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was heading towards Eliwood, and he knew that he couldn't possibly take them all, as there were still well over two dozen bandits.

At that moment, though, another loud roar echoed through the canyon, as Bartre appeared around the corner, and charged into the whole pack of bandits. Dorcas followed shortly afterwards. Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they could pull this one off.

Eliwood heard a voice from above him yell, "Look out!" and then out of the corner of his eye he saw an arrow whiz by. Eliwood turned around to see a bandit standing less than a metre away, axe held high and with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Eliwood calmly stepped backwards as the man's body fell forwards.

Eliwood looked up to see Rebecca standing at the top of the valley, bow in hand. "Thanks, Rebecca," Eliwood said.

Rebecca nodded in reply as she notched another arrow. "Glad to be of service, Lord Eliwood," she replied.

Eliwood turned his attention back to the battle. Dorcas and Bartre were holding their own against their group, but Marcus was still having trouble making his way through. Eliwood ran towards the latter group. As he reached them, he dispatched a few with ease, and Marcus calmly dealt with the rest. "Are you alright, Marcus?" Eliwood asked.

Marcus was panting, and he suddenly looked older than usual. "I'll live, my lord," Marcus replied, "which is good, seeing as how we still have some thugs left to deal with."

Eliwood turned to his right to see a large group of bandits charging towards them, with the gigantic man among their numbers. Eliwood and Marcus assumed defensive stances, but before they could do anything else, they saw a flash of gold as Lowen charged past on his horse, lance in hand, headed straight for the bandits. Muttering something incomprehensible, Marcus charged as well, but Eliwood hesitated.

Lowen reached the group first, and plunged his lance into the first bandit he could, before disappearing into the mass of people. Eliwood heard a scream from within, and could just make out Lowen being thrown from his horse. Marcus, meanwhile, charged into the fray, dispatching two bandits in an instant, before he too disappeared from sight. Neither of them noticed the gigantic man come out of the pack. Eliwood certainly did though, as the man was walking towards him, axe in hand. He seemed even bigger from this small distance, and the axe was larger than any Eliwood had seen before. He was shaking slightly, but he bit his lip in an attempt to calm himself.

The gigantic man seemed to have noticed Eliwood's fear. "Scared, whelp?" he asked with an evil grin on his face. "I can't say I blame you, seeing as how your life ends here and all." In one swift motion, the gigantic man had raised his axe behind his head, shouting a battle cry as he did so. As the axe fell, Eliwood rolled forwards to dodge the blow.

Before Eliwood could counter the blow, the gigantic man leapt out of the way with surprising agility. Eliwood rose to his feet, just in time to leap back and dodge another attack. Eliwood was panting now. He needed to find an opening, before the fight wore him out. Eliwood leapt back onto a nearby rock to dodge the next blow, but he landed poorly, and struggled to find his footing. He wobbled, and had to hold his arms out to his sides to maintain his balance.

Eliwood could see the gigantic man winding up for another attack, but he knew that he couldn't move enough to dodge it. As the attack came down, Eliwood put all thoughts of balance out of his mind, closed his eyes, and thrust his rapier forward. He heard a sickening squelch, followed by a scream.

Eliwood opened his eyes slowly. The scene he saw before him shocked him. His rapier was sticking right through the left wrist of the gigantic man, whose axe was barely a metre from Eliwood's head. The gigantic man was howling in pain. Eliwood withdrew his rapier.

Eliwood didn't register what happened next. All he could tell was that he heard a loud snap, and then he was flying. His back hit the rocky wall of the valley, hard. The pain in his jaw was more than anything Eliwood had experienced before. He could barely move.

Eliwood's vision was still fine, though, and he was able to see the gigantic man clamber onto the rock where Eliwood had been standing moments before. The man had his axe in his right hand. Time seemed to slow down as the gigantic man rose to his feet, and raised his right arm into the air.

Eliwood felt true fear now. He was going to die, here and now. But it couldn't happen now, not like this! His quest had barely begun. He still hadn't rescued his father. He had broken his promise to his mother. There were so many things that he would never get to say or do.

Time seemed to have stopped now. The gigantic man was still standing there, axe held high. He seemed to be taking forever to finish the job. Eliwood wished that it could all end now. Dying was terrible, but waiting on the edge of inevitable death was a fate Eliwood would not wish on his worst enemy.

Then, Eliwood slowly came to a realisation. Blood was trickling down the sides of the gigantic man's head. He now had a blank look on his face, and his whole body was looking incredibly pale. Then, a large gauntleted hand pushed the lifeless corpse to Eliwood's right. It fell without protest. Where the gigantic man once stood, there now stood an axe-fighter whom Eliwood was infinitely more pleased to see. There, atop the rock, with a large, bloody axe in one hand, stood Hector of Ostia.

"You know, Eliwood," Hector said with a grin as he leapt down from the rock, "some day I won't be around to save your hide."

Eliwood tried to speak, but as he tried to move his jaw, a sharp pain erupted throughout it. Resisting the urge to scream, Eliwood just let out a few moans.

Hector gave a surprised look. "Hey, what happened to you?" Eliwood seriously hoped that that was a rhetorical question. As Hector leant in for a closer look, he frowned. "Ouch. Looks pretty painful." Eliwood nodded, being careful not to move his jaw. Hector turned behind him, to where the rest of the group was even now heading towards them. Apparently, the bandits had been defeated. "Hey, Serra, get over here!" Hector shouted.

Eliwood felt something lurch inside him. Was this the same Serra that had travelled with Lyn, the one whom Hector found so incredibly hard to deal with? Why would she be here now? True, if Hector was setting out on a journey, it would make sense to have a healer – it was only a lack of spare healers in Pherae that had prevented Eliwood from bringing one – but why Serra? Alas, Eliwood's worst fears were realised when a familiar, pink-haired cleric emerged from behind the crowd.

"Ah! Lord Hector," Serra said in her usual cheery, rather high-pitched voice, "isn't there something you want to say to me?"

"Yeah," Hector replied, pointing to Eliwood, "can you heal the broken jaw we've got here?"

Serra stared blankly, a slight look of disappointment on her face. "Oh, okay." She looked over at Eliwood, and instantly recoiled, her look of disappointment changed to a look of disgust. "Ewwww! There's blood everywhere! Can't you men fight in a cleaner manner?"

Eliwood stared incredulously at Serra, but Hector merely sighed. "Serra, the healing?" Eliwood was in complete agreement with Hector. The sooner he got his jaw healed, the better.

"Oh, alright, if I have to." Serra walked towards Eliwood, keeping her staff held out as far as possible so as to maximise the distance she could be from him. The look of revulsion was still on her face. "Now hold still, Lord Eliwood, this won't hurt a bit." As she said these words, she closed her eyes. Eliwood couldn't help but notice that she seemed so much more peaceful and serene now. Serra's stuff touched Eliwood's jaw. The staff began to glow with a bright white light. As it did this, Eliwood felt the pain slip away, to be replaced with a gentle, almost soothing, tingling sensation. The glow lasted for a few seconds, and then it was gone. Eliwood could no longer feel any pain in his jaw, though as he gently brushed it with his hand, he found that there was still a lot of blood there.

As if to confirm his findings, Hector said, "You might want to get that washed off, Eliwood. You look like you've been feasting off a corpse or something."

Eliwood laughed, and walked back to where they'd left their gear, in the hope that there would be enough water to wash off all the blood.

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A few minutes later, Eliwood was much cleaner. The group had returned to their original resting spot until Eliwood decided what they should do next. Meanwhile, Marcus had taken Lowen out of sight, but not out of earshot. The conversation could be heard so clearly that it might as well have been right in front of Eliwood.

"What do you think you were doing?" Eliwood heard Marcus shout. "Riding off into battle in such a foolhardy manner was bad enough, but then I was forced to save you, and Lord Eliwood nearly died as a result! It's lucky for all of us that Lord Hector showed up when he did? Do you realise the consequences of your actions?"

"Yes, Sir Marcus," Lowen replied meekly. The whole group was listening intently to the conversation now.

"Did you even think about following any of battle techniques and strategies I taught you?"

"No, Sir Marcus."

"Why not?" Lowen was silent, so Marcus answered his own question. "Because you didn't _think!_ Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Sir Marcus."

"Now get back to camp! There will be sparring practice in the two hours before dawn. And just to make sure you don't fall asleep during your watch again, I'll be making a sneak attack on you some time during your watch. You had better be ready for it, unless you want to find yourself running back to Pherae with your tail between your legs."

A few seconds later, Lowen emerged from around the corner, slouching. His face no longer displayed the mix of jitter and enthusiasm Eliwood had seen before. Instead, it displayed a look of pure dejection, as if his life's very meaning had been taken away from him.

Lowen walked past Eliwood, avoiding eye contact, or so Eliwood guessed. Eliwood wanted to say something to him, but at that moment Marcus appeared. Upon seeing the Pheraen knight, everyone looked away and resumed their conversations, trying in vain to appear as if nothing had happened. Marcus glanced around, his frustration clear. With a shake of his head, Marcus walked towards Eliwood.

"Lord Eliwood," he said, "I take it you heard all that?"

Eliwood nodded. "Yes, you tend to be rather noticeable when you're instructing the recruits," he replied. "Marcus, are you sure you're not too hard on Lowen?" Eliwood knew it was pointless to say this. Marcus would never budge on this issue.

Marcus shook his head and sighed. "Lord Eliwood, as I've told you many times before, the only way people learn anything is through strict discipline and constant vigilance. Every mistake must be pointed out bluntly if they are ever to improve."

"Oh really?" Eliwood asked. "Then how come you never shouted at me when you were teaching me the ways of the sword? I must have made a hundred mistakes, but you always made it seem like part of the learning experience. You always looked on the positive side. Why don't you do that now?"

Eliwood was shocked. For the first time ever, he had made Marcus speechless. All the Pheraen knight could do was stare, his expression not revealing anything. Eliwood sighed. "Marcus," he said, "it's not about Lowen, is it? You're blaming yourself for all of this, aren't you?"

"Lord Eliwood, that's preposterous," Marcus replied, but Eliwood saw right through him.

"No, it's not. Ever since my father disappeared, I've noticed a change in you. You used to be a bit harsh, but now you're getting ridiculous, and I know why. You blame yourself for my father's disappearance because you think you should have been there to help him, so you took it out on the other soldiers by increasing their workload by far more than it needed to be. And now, you're blaming yourself for what happened to me just then, and you're taking it out on Lowen!"

Marcus was silent for a moment. "My lord, have you talked to Lord Hector yet?"

"Marcus, don't change the subject."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Should I take that as a no?"

"Well, it's true that I haven't talked to him yet, but - "

"Then perhaps you should do so.," Marcus interjected. "We can still cover a lot of ground today, if we set out soon. It would be best to see if Lord Hector has any information for us, and if he would wish to join us. We can continue this conversation whenever you wish after you have done that."

Eliwood knew that arguing with Marcus was pointless. "Okay, I will, but we need to talk sometime soon." With those words, Eliwood turned away and walked towards where Hector and his group was standing. With Hector was the Ostian knight Oswin, a brown-haired, middle-aged man who wore a full suit of bronze armour. His stern expression reminded Eliwood of Marcus.

Serra was also standing with Hector, along with a young man whom Eliwood hadn't met before. The man wore simple clothing, with a scarlet cloak that didn't seem to match with the rest of the outfit. His brown hair was untidy, though nowhere near to the extent that Lowen's was. He had a casual smirk upon his face.

"Hey, Eliwood," Hector said upon seeing the Pheraen noble.

"Well met, Hector," Eliwood replied, as if to remind his friend of certain formalities. Hector rolled his eyes in a joking manner. Eliwood smiled. "So, what brings you here?"

Hector stared blankly at Eliwood. "You're kidding, right? Your father's missing, and even in Ostia we heard the rumours that you were planning to go off in search of him. Do you honestly think I wouldn't come along?"

"Well, I was always sure you would want to. I just thought that you wouldn't. Hector, your brother hasn't been Marquess Ostia for very long. Don't you think he'll still need your support?"

"My brother is not that weak. He knew what I was planning, and he let me go."

Eliwood's spirits lifted at this news. "Then it would be unwise to reject his kindness! Welcome aboard, Hector."

"No worries. Say, you remember Oswin don't you?" Hector asked, pointing to the Ostian knight. Eliwood nodded. "And I suppose you'd know Serra now," Hector added, with a vague nod in Serra's direction. "Believe it or not, she's a cleric of Saint Elimine."

"I know, we've actually met before."

"Oh, you remember me!" Serra exclaimed, beaming. "Not that I'd expect you to forget such a beautiful person as me."

Hector groaned, and then said, "When did you two meet? I don't recall ever introducing you."

"It's a long story," Eliwood replied. "Remind me, and I'll tell it to you sometime." Then, with a grin, he added, "Or perhaps you'd like to hear it from Serra?"

Hector's eyes bulged. "No!" he said quickly. Then, more slowly, he added, "I mean, I'd be glad to hear it from _you_ whenever you have the time, Eliwood. Uh, say, have you met Matthew?" Hector pointed to the other young man. "He works for Ostia, he does a lot of… sneaking around."

Eliwood raised an eyebrow. "Sneaking around?" he asked inquisitively.

"Uh yes," Matthew replied in a calm, casual voice. "I gather secrets, open doors, chests and so forth." He raised his hands slightly. "I have… nimble fingers." He wriggled his fingers round as if to prove his point.

"That sounds like a thief's work." Eliwood guessed that Matthew was really more of a spy than a thief, but he was getting some enjoyment out of this little accusation. But where had Eliwood heard the name Matthew before?

"Yeah, well, don't let that bother you," Hector said, in an attempt to draw the conversation away from that point. His face became grim. "Listen Eliwood, I have a feeling that this journey's going to be a lot more dangerous than your realise. You may have to live with some things you don't like." Clearly, Hector remembered Eliwood's dislike of spies and thieves.

"What makes you say that?" Eliwood asked. He already thought that this journey as going to be dangerous, and he certainly didn't want it getting any more so.

"Well, let's just say that there have been a lot of rumours going around recently. Our spies have reason to suspect that there's a secret organisation operating in Lycia at the moment. They may have something to do with your father's disappearance."

"Lord Hector is right, Lord Eliwood," Oswin said. "In fact, when we arrived here, we found a soldier of Santaruz watching the battle, but he did nothing. He seems to have been intent on watching you die, Lord Eliwood."

"That reminds me of something the leader of that group of brutes said," said a familiar voice from behind Eliwood. He turned around and saw Marcus standing there. If the knight was still angry, then he was very good at hiding it, for his previous look of extreme frustration had been replaced with his standard stern expression. "He said that someone wanted Lord Eliwood dead. It wouldn't surprise me if they were connected to this mysterious organisation you spoke of, Lord Hector."

Hector nodded. "You might be right there, Marcus. And if you are, then I think that both of these groups must be connected to Santaruz in some way. But why would Marquess Santaruz want you dead, Eliwood? You and your father have always been on good terms with him."

Eliwood was silent for a moment. Truthfully, he had no idea. "I don't know Hector," he finally said. "But I do know this: something is rotten in the state of Santaruz, and I intend to find out what it is."


End file.
